Interview with CROSSFAITH

Renowned for their unique metal-meets-electro sound, metalcore quintet CROSSFAITH have once again returned to Europe as part of their XENO World Tour. Bassist Hiroki and guitarist Kazuki kindly took some time out of their busy schedule to answer some questions from JaME.

Hello CROSSFAITH! As this is your first time speaking to JaME, please introduce the band and tell us a fun fact about each member.

Hiroki: Hi, this is Hiro, my jobs are playing bass and spitting Jägermeister to the crowd. First, let me introduce Kazu; Kazu is always focusing on his muscles, how they were affected by the food he eats, his sleeping hours, and working out - pretty much everything. Tatsu is crazy about hot and spicy food, so he always brings his own personal hot sauce on tour!

Ken, he just wants to build "Gunpla", which is making plastic models of Gundam, and I don’t know why he doesn’t stop mentioning it in interviews... Finally, there's Teru. Obviously he drinks like a fish, but when he doesn’t drink, he's stuck in his bank all the time. I think he’s having a bank party or something.

CROSSFAITH is...

Hiroki: CROSSFAITH is the future!

Kazuki, you went on a year-long break to undergo treatment for your left hand. How does it feel to be back playing with the band?

Kazuki: I’m happy to be back. Staying home for a long time was like a living death. I now feel I’m alive again, and this place is where I belong.

You released your latest album XENO in September last year. What was the inspiration or concept behind this album?

Hiroki: This time we had a story for the album before we started writing. It’s about A.I, a female artificial intelligence, who enters human brains and tries to understand human’s emotions.

Who designed the circular symbol on XENO's CD jacket? What does the symbol represent?

Hiroki: It was made by our designer friend. He listened to our songs and came up with the idea. The symbol represents just us: CROSSFAITH.

The music video for Devil's Party, the fourth track on XENO, was uploaded on your official YouTube channel. What story is the music video trying to tell? What does the lady in the video represent?

Hiroki: There is a time that you feel down, even when you think you are doing the right thing, and it happens to everyone. She was struggling about herself in the video and we don’t know if she’s fine or not…

You'll be embarking on your XENO World Tour soon. What runs through your mind when you think of it?

Hiroki: Scenery of Europe. That’s the first thing that comes to my mind. I really missed the people there, and the lifestyle too. When we were touring America, there's lots of food: fast food, steaks, snacks, but food is just food there. When I was having lunch in France, there’s a glass of wine on the table, someone says "bon appétit", then I say "merci", and then a beautiful meal comes. There’s space and time. I respect that aspect of humanity.

Special guests will be making appearances at your XENO World Tour shows. Can you tell us more about these guests?

Hiroki: Legends Qemists are one of our favorite bands and I can’t wait to see their live show. It's pure chaos. And our boys, The One Hundred, are really good guys and I love their music style.

Is there a town or country you're looking forward to visiting the most?

Hiroki: Oh no, everywhere in Europe honestly. The culture in each place is really different so I want to explore. I can’t wait to feel and think about it. But I’m really interested in Germany’s architecture and designs. When I stop to look at them, I can see they're really stylish.

Is Jägermeister still your preferred drink?

Hiroki: Yes and no. My favorite drink is Jameson’s, which is an Irish whisky but I still drink Jägermeister when I want to party. So there’s always Jägermeister on the stage.

What’s your biggest fear?

Hiroki: Losing my phone and wallet. It always happens on tour. It’s the scariest thing ever.

What’s the weirdest dream you ever had?

Hiroki: I was running as a dog. It wasn’t that bad, actually.

You wish you could…

Hiroki: I wish I could see my family once a month. I’m not like homesick but I still I want to talk and have a drink with my parents.

What are your future plans? Any new releases in sight?

Hiroki: We did some recording for our new record back in January with Josh Wilber; he was our producer for XENO. We also did a collaboration with a Japanese band called SiM, which is going to be a theme song for the Red Bull Air Race. We’ve got so many things going on now so keep your eyes on us.

To wrap up, do you have a message for JaME’s readers?

Hiroki: When I wrote the answers for interview, I was in Vitry drinking champagne. It’s been just three days since our European tour started, but I really missed the scenery and people here in France. I hope I saw you or I’ll see you, and if I can’t, I will on the next big tour. See you in the pit!

JaME would like to thank CROSSFAITH, CROSSFAITH's management and Sony Music Artists Inc. for this interview opportunity.

XENO Official Lyric Video:



Devil's Party Official Music Video: