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Counterparts, Cryptopsy, Despised Icon, and More Nominated for 2026 JUNO Award
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Crystal Lake is one of those bands that I lost track of. I adored 2015’s The Sign, its blend of hardcore attitude with a surgical metalcore attack and just enough djent and deathcore to make things interesting resulted in some of my all-time favorites in the style (“Prometheus,” “Matrix,” “Hades”). Yes, it’s knuckleheaded and boner-dragging brutality posturing, but for a jolt of breakdown-heavy sonic adrenaline, the Japanese quintet fit the bill. I lost track of them, with albums True North and Helix toning down the weight for an Erra-inspired atmospheric metalcore sound. It has been eight years since Helix entered the scene with a thud, so what can we expect from The Weight of Sound?
The Weight of Sound is the heft of change and consistency alike for Crystal Lake. A notable change is the departure of long-time vocalist Ryo Kinoshita, who released the debut for his solo project Knosis last year, and was replaced by John Robert Centorrino, former vocalist of The Last Ten Seconds of Life. The band acknowledges that Kinoshita’s shoes are nearly impossible to fill; to supplement, Centorrino is backed by an array of guest vocalists: David Simonich of Signs of the Swarm, Taylor Barber of Left to Suffer and Seven Hours After Violet, Myke Terry of Volumes and Fire from the Gods,1 Karl Schubach of Misery Signals and Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage. Consistently, however, the instrumental approach is the same, bringing back the nu-metal-meets-djent-meets-hardcore chugs (whose absence made the last two outings toothless), as well as that trademark ethereal guitar layers. The result, however, falls woefully short compared to Crystal Lake’s landmark albums, as the knuckleheaded overtakes the thoughtful and the vocals become a monotonous muck.
The Weight of Sound (24-bit HD audio) by Crystal Lake
For positives, when Crystal Lake manages to balance the heavy and the atmospheric, tracks can truly soar. Yearning chord progressions, layers of melodies and sustained trills, and desperate vocals combine to add a nice dose of melancholy and fury, accented by the band’s signature guitar tone that balances djent weight with hardcore urgency. Even Centorrino’s cleans are a nice addition throughout these tracks, distant shouts or croons that recall Brett Gurewitz’s guest spot in Parkway Drive’s “Home is for the Heartless:”: tasteful and subtle. These tracks primarily populate the back half, a calm after the storm of metalcore pummeling, complete with a more somber mood (“The Undertow,” “The Weight of Sound,” “Sinners,” “Coma Wave”) that recalls more melodic hardcore-inflected metalcore acts like Counterparts or The Ghost Inside. The patience in the songwriting of these moments is also noteworthy, as movements feel nicely unhurried and appropriately contemplative.
Crystal Lake’s balance of the atmosphere and chug, as well as vocal charisma, have always been assets, but they plague The Weight of Sound. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t love Helix’s more light-and-airy vibe, but too many tracks are just too knuckleheaded here to make a splash, particularly the opening “unnecessary contractions” triptych (“Everblack,” “BludGod,” “Neversleep”), which seem like the band’s metalcore answer to Signs of the Swarm’s To Rid Myself of Truth. Meanwhile, other tracks seem to be wildly inconsistent and are true head-scratchers in terms of placement in the tracklist, featuring bluesy Southern vibes (“King Down”) or awkward shifts between heavy and ethereal (“Dystopia,” “Crossing Nails”). Each placement in the playlist at large feels shoehorned and abrupt, from balls-to-the-wall heavy to southern to ethereal, to confused. For the number of guest vocalists that appear throughout The Weight of Sound, Centorrino’s vocals make them difficult to discern with his smokier and denser presence. It’s unclear if this makes him a better performer or if the production value is just that putrid – or both.
To their credit, Crystal Lake hasn’t had to change up their sound since Kinoshita’s departure, and the balance between ethereal atmosphere and chuggy metalcore remains a formidable asset. However, scattershot songwriting and odd track placement doom effectiveness beyond a few sparse moments to break up the confused, knuckleheaded beatdowns. The Weight of Sound is everything you loved about The Sign eleven years ago, but with less identity and more distraction, chugging along for one song before brutalizing you with breakdowns the next. But most notable is Crystal Lake’s lack of direction: The Weight of Sound is all chugs and atmosphere with no clear purpose.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Century Media Records
Websites: crystallake-worldwide.com | facebook.com/crystallake777
Releases Worldwide: January 23rd, 2026
#Twins, #Counterparts, #Dopplegangers, #BirdsOfAFeather... These themes have called to me for a very long time...
By Dear Hollow
Remember when hardcore was, like, hardcore? Wolves does. The generically named yet tongue-in-cheek UK hardcore gang makes antiestablishment music cool again, but not in the tired way. It’s not the noise-and-noise-only approach of early punk’s darlings Sex Pistols or Black Flag, but it ain’t pop-punk’s catchy anthem either. It’s jerky, jagged, unhinged, and doesn’t give a fuck about your feelings – it’s angular!1 But it’s also melodic, heartfelt, and overwhelmingly sincere. Calling out fascism and nationalism and the assholes who tote them, while getting personal and vulnerable with themes of parenthood and heartbreak, Wolves offers a scathing forty-eight minute romp through both the unfriendliness and melodicism of hardcore’s storied history.
Wolves is hardcore in a traditional way, but that doesn’t forego on experimentation. The quintet at its core recalls the hardcore fury of Gallows or Verse in their punky politically inclined foot on the gas, but they toss in a generous helping of post-hardcore, healthy cup of mathcore, and a drizzle of post-metal into their stew of titles. Furthermore, four out of five members are also vocalists2 and panic chord abuse runs rampant alongside a groovy swagger. It recalls Every Time I Die, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Poison the Well without committing to them completely, creating a hardcore album that rides neatly on the borders with intensity when needed and thoughtful melody when the situation calls for it. Both bolstered and hindered by their four vocalists and a gratuitous runtime, Self-Titled is math-curious, -core-furious, and genre-spurious debut LP.
Wolves justifies its lengthy runtime with some tasteful experimentation. While the backbone of tempo-abusing furious hardcore punk, a hefty amount of melody adds a heartfelt ache to the tracks (“All or Something”), while post-metal’s dirge-like hypnotism appears to slow things down in a far more somber and dreary tone (“New Liver, Same Eagle”). These moments can be hit-or-miss, however, as the more Intronaut-inspired expanses that rely on clean vocals fall drearily flat (“A Stolen Horse”), the bluesy riffs can grate after so many reiterations (“A Guide to Accepting One’s Fate”), and the more chaotic mathcore faithful can derail the otherwise interesting grooves (“Nicaea to See You (To See You Nicaea)”). Furthermore, although the melodic nature recalls the yearning moments of Counterparts or The Ghost Inside, the four-vocal attack does not bode well, the fry vocals feeling particularly grating against the layered plucking (“All or Something,” “A Stolen Horse”).
Thankfully then, the bulk of Self-Titled is one hell of a beatdown romp that toes the line between its influences in a relentless blend of mathy and groovy. Wonky panic chords and dissonant technical sweeps courtesy of The Dillinger Escape Plan add a desperate and unhinged dimension (“LEECHES!,” “Emergency Equipment”), while bluesy swagger that recalls the heyday of Every Time I Die makes riffs sound “yuuuuge” against the backdrop of blistering hardcore tempos, resulting in some seriously mosh-worthy content (“Thirteen Crows and One Pigeon,” “The Rich Man and the Sea”). Second track “Reformed (Try Love)” is of special note, that while its groovy riffs are rad, the spoken word callout is the most hardcore thing I’ve heard this year, calling out those who are “one step from Nazi propaganda” and nationalism-flirting politicians, businessmen, and influencers, British and American: “Mate, they don’t give a fuck about you, but you′ve let them whisper in your ear… ’cause it′s easier to hate than to look in a fucking mirror.” In Wolves’ words, “Christ, what a shower of cunts.”
Wolves’ Self-Titled is all about balance, as their unapologetic brashness blends surprisingly well with their tongue-in-cheek vibe and vulnerable melodics. At its core, it’s a math-curious hardcore romp that fits neatly alongside the likes of both Gallows, Botch, and even Stray from the Path, so it’s easy to forgive the overloud vocals, mediocre cleans, periodically gratuitous repetition, and album length. When its experimental edge succeeds, it’s a home run, but that’s not the star of the show – its political edge and weaponized mathcore influence will rip you a new one. Wolves is here to make sure you’re not “duped by absolute scumbags” and have a rip-roaring time doing it.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Ripcord Records
Websites: theycalluswolves.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/theycalluswolves
Releases Worldwide: September 5th, 2025
#2025 #30 #BlackFlag #Botch #BritishMetal #Counterparts #EveryTimeIDie #Gallows #HardcorePunk #Intronaut #Mathcore #PoisonTheWell #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #RipcordRecords #SelfTitled #Sep25 #SexPistols #StrayFromThePath #TheDillingerEscapePlan #TheGhostInside #Verse #Wolves
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COUNTERPARTS Announces North American Tour With THROWN, 156/SILENCE & SPLIT CHAIN
#Counterparts #Thrown #156Silence #SplitChain #LouderThanLife #Louisville #NorthAmericanTour #September2024
Henrique Jorge
🤘 The Metal Dog 🤘
Angry Metal Guy
ShadowPlay
Henrique Jorge