Crossfaith – “Ex Machina” [Album Review]

Ex Machina is the fifth and latest release from the Japanese dance/metalcore act Crossfaith. I’ve been what I would call a casual fan of the band since the beginning and have actually gotten a chance to see them live, so when this came across my desk I was anxious to give it a listen. I say “casual fan” because, while the group absolutely tears it up live, their records, to me, are hit or miss. When they are on their game, their blend of EDM and metalcore is like nothing else, however, in my opinion, they are only on their game a little more than half the time.

Ex Machina starts auspiciously with the intro track, “Deus Ex Machina”, blending spoken word and electronic music, creating a sense of anticipation for what is to come. The next few songs make good on that promise and really kick ass with that heavy, electronic Crossfaith sound, especially “The Perfect Nightmare”, which might very well be my favourite of their songs to date.

It’s here though that the wheels starting to fall off; the remaining tracks are less than stellar. Songs like “Lost In You”, “Milestone”, and “Eden In The Rain” just don’t pack the same punch that the first few do, and they seem to fall flat; not bad songs in their own right, but not very memorable either. In fact, they reminded me a lot of just about every pop-punk band you might hear at Warped Tour.

I really wanted to like this whole record, but, in the end, there are only a few songs I will add to my playlist. The rest, unfortunately, will be pretty much forgotten after this review.

Avoid full blown disaster by checking out “Catastophe”.

Ex Machina Track Listing:

01. Deus Ex Machina
02. Catastrophe
03. The Perfect Nightmare
04. Destroy
05. Freedom
06. Make a Move
07. Lost in You
08. Wipeout [Album Mix]
9. Milestone
10. Eden in the Rain
11. Twin Shadows
12. Daybreak
13. Faint

Run Time: 46:32
Release Date: August 1, 2018
Record Label: Sony Music Label Inc.