Crystal Lake (band)

History

Formation and first releases (2002–2005)

Crystal Lake was formed in 2002 in Tokyo, Japan. Their first demo, Freewill, was released in February in time for the show in Korea which they were invited to by GMC Records. The second demo, One Word Changes Everything, came out in July, and a self-released four-track EP, also entitled Freewill was released in September with 1000 copies made and sold. In September 2003, Crystal Lake played five shows in Japan with Australian band Day of Contempt.

From March to June 2004, they toured with Loyal to the Grave and Extinguish the Fire. Following the end of the tour, the bands released a split album titled Blood of Judas on CD and DVD.

On 29 April 2005, the band released their second split album with Risen and Unboy titled 3 Way Split. They also toured in Malaysia.

''Dimension'' and Taste of Chaos 2007 (2006–2007)

In February 2006, they performed at Independence D. On 5 July 2006, the band released their first studio album titled Dimension through Imperium Recordings. After the release of the album, they went on "Dimension Tour" in Japan.

In February 2007, they performed at Metal Presentation with Australian band I Killed the Prom Queen and Hatebreed on "Hatebreed Japan Tour" in March. In November 2007, they played on Rockstar's "Taste of Chaos" in Japan.

Third split album and Taste of Chaos 2008 (2008–2009)

In May 2008, they released their third split album on CD with the Japanese punk band Cleave. In November 2008, they performed again at Rockstar's "Taste of Chaos" in Japan.

In January 2009, they toured in Japan with Parkway Drive and Shai Hulud.

''Into the Great Beyond'' and Nishimura's departure (2010–2011)

On 27 May 2010, Crystal Lake released free download demo Endeavor on their MySpace page. Crystal Lake also announced through MySpace, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube a new music video "Twisted Fate" from their upcoming second studio album titled Into the Great Beyond. On 11 June 2011, the founding vocalist Kentaro Nishimura left the band.

Line-up change and ''Cubes'' (2012–2015)

On 24 March 2012, the original drummer Yusuke Ishihara left the band. On 3 July, they announced their new vocalist Ryo Kinoshita on their Facebook page with a statement: "Today, we are pleased to announce the newest addition to the Crystal Lake Family, please give a warm welcome the new vocalist Ryo." The next day, the band announced that Gaku Taura will be their support on drums. They also announced that they were going to release a new single in summer. On 5 September, they released two new singles "The Fire Inside" and "Overcome" which was mixed and mastered by Brian Hood at 456 Recordings.

From 26 January to 1 February 2013, they toured with As Blood Runs Black and Confession. In May 2013, they toured with The Ghost Inside and Continents. After that they shared the stage with Emmure and they toured across Japan on the Sumerian Tour 2013 with Born of Osiris, Upon a Burning Body and Her Name in Blood. Later in 2013, the band went on a supporting tours for Coldrain, Her Name in Blood, Crossfaith, Before My Life Fails, SiM, and Totalfat.

On 9 February 2014, they played at the Scream Out Fest 2014 with The Devil Wears Prada, Periphery, The Word Alive, Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Her Name in Blood at Shinkiba Studio Coast, Tokyo. On 12 April, they played on the Monster Energy Outburn Tour 2014 with Coldrain, Crossfaith, and Miss May I in Sapporo.

Later in 2014, the band announced that their first EP titled Cubes via YouTube page, is set to release on 6 August 2014. A music video for the new song "Ups & Downs" was released on 28 July. On 4 August, a music video was released for their cover of Limp Bizkit's song "Rollin'". On 6 August, they released the new EP Cubes via Cube Records. Cubes debuted at No. 5 on the Oricon (Japanese music chart) indie weekly album chart, at No. 45 on the weekly album chart and at No. 27 on the daily album chart.

On 8 August, they headlined the "True North Project Tour", with support from Infection, Prompts, Sailing Before the Wind, Scarface, and Shark Ethic. They toured on the Crossfaith's "ACROSS THE FUTURE Tour" with We Came as Romans and While She Sleeps in September. On 25 October, they started their headlining tour "Cubes Tour" 2014. On 15 November, they performed at the Knotfest Japan 2014.

On 3 August 2015, it was announced that bassist Yasuyuki Kotaka had decided to leave the band due to his illness.

Signing to Artery Recordings, ''The Sign'' and ''True North'' (2015–2017)

On 7 September 2015, Crystal Lake announced they had signed to Artery Recordings in the U.S. and JPU Records in the UK and Europe and would be releasing their following third studio album The Sign on 7 October 2015 through these labels. On 30 November 2016, Crystal Lake released their fourth studio album True North. They later released two new singles, "Apollo" and "Machina" in 2017.

Signing to SharpTone Records and ''Helix'' (2018–2019)

Crystal Lake released the single and accompanying video for "The Circle" on 6 August 2018. The three-track release for The Circle was released on 8 August.

On 28 November, SharpTone Records announced that they had signed Crystal Lake to the label. The band released a new single and accompanying video for the song "Aeon". On the same day, the band released their fifth studio album, Helix, exclusively in Japan with an international release following in 2019. In 2019, Crystal Lake will support August Burns Red, Miss May I, and Fit for a King on "The Dangerous Tour" in North America. In March, the group went on Adept's Russian Tour as a warm up. They also headlined the 2019 "Never Say Die Tour" with In Hearts Wake, King, Our Hollow Our Home, Polar, Alpha Wolf, and Great American Ghost.

''The Voyages'', departures of Kinoshita and Hori and ''The Weight of Sound'' (2020–present)

On 8 July 2020, the band released a brand new single titled "Watch Me Burn" and its corresponding music video. On 9 July, a day after the new release, the band announced that the founding rhythm guitarist Shinya Hori would be taking a hiatus for personal reasons.

On 3 August, the band re-released their song "Into the Great Beyond" from their second studio album of the same name alongside an accompanying music video. At the same time, the band announced that an album consisting of re-recorded material from their Kentaro Nishimura era, titled The Voyages, which released on 5 August 2020, while also revealing the album cover and the track list. On 21 November, the band officially announced that Hori's hiatus would become a permanent departure due to "personal reasons".

In July 2021, the band released the single "Curse", accompanied by an official music video for the song, uploaded onto their YouTube channel. Along with the music video, it was announced that touring members Gaku Taura, and Mitsuru were made official members of the band. Along with the addition of a new rhythm guitarist, Hisatsugu "TJ" Taji. On 28 September 2022, Ryo Kinoshita announced that he left the band revealing that he has been dealing with an illness known as adjustment disorder that has made it difficult for him to continue with the group. The illness afflicted Kinoshita over the past five years which made him the decision to step away from the group. On 11 March 2023, Crystal Lake announced that they have recruited John Robert Centorrino formerly of The Last Ten Seconds of Life as their new full-time vocalist. On 23 June, the band unveiled another single "Rebirth" and its corresponding music video.

Crystal Lake's sixth studio album, The Weight of Sound, was released on 23 January 2026.

Musical style and influences

Crystal Lake's musical style has been described as metalcore, progressive metal, nu metal, and deathcore.

Members stated that the band are influenced mostly by metalcore acts such as Shai Hulud, Earth Crisis and Hatebreed as well as other melodic metalcore bands like The Ghost Inside or Parkway Drive.

Members

Current

• Yudai "YD" Miyamoto – lead guitar (2002–present); backing vocals (2012–present)
• Gaku Taura – drums (2021–present; touring 2012–2021)
• Mitsuru – bass (2021–present; touring 2017–2021)
• Hisatsugu "TJ" Taji – rhythm guitar (2021–present)
• John Robert Centorrino – lead vocals (2023–present)

Former

• Seiji Nagasawa – bass (2002–2007)
• Kentaro Nishimura – lead vocals (2002–2011)
• Yusuke Ishihara – drums (2002–2012)
• Yasuyuki Kotaka – bass (2007–2015)
• Teruki Takahashi – bass (2015–2016)
• Shinya Hori – rhythm guitar (2002–2020)
• Ryo Kinoshita – lead vocals (2012–2022)

Touring musicians

• Bitoku Sakamoto – bass (2015; 2016–2018; 2023)

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Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Split albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Collaborations

Other appearances

Music videos

References

References

1. Alliance Trax. (31 December 2005). "3 Way Split".
2. (31 July 2006). "Dimension CD".
3. (31 January 2007). "Crystal Lake with I Killed The Prom Queen".
4. (1 March 2007). "Crystal Lake performed with Hatebreed".
5. (28 October 2007). "Crystal Lake taste of chaos 2007".
6. (1 June 2008). "Split CD with Cleave".
7. (28 October 2008). "Crystal Lake taste of chaos 2008".
8. (1 January 2009). "Crystal Lake, Parkway Drive, Shai Hulud Japan Tour 2009".
9. (19 November 2008). "Japan Tour 2009".
10. (27 May 2010). "Endeavor demo 2010".
11. (3 July 2012). "New vocalist announced".
12. (30 July 2012). "New Single".
13. (13 June 2014). "Crystal Lake - Cubes".
14. (30 May 2014). "Across The Future".
15. (16 November 2014). "KNOTFEST JAPAN 2014".
16. (9 August 2018). "Japanese Metalcore Band CRYSTAL LAKE Releases Music Video For 'The Circle'". [[Blabbermouth.net]].
17. (28 November 2018). "Crystal Lake Sign with SharpTone Records, Release "Aeon" Music Video".
18. (8 July 2020). "NEWS: Crystal Lake surprise release 'Watch Me Burn' EP!".
19. (5 August 2020). "Ten years on, Crystal Lake return to 'Into The Great Beyond' with a fresh redux". KillYourStereo.
20. Crystal Lake. (21 November 2020). "かねてより活動休止をしていたギターのShinyaですが、この度Crystal Lakeを脱退いたしました。Announce that we have parted ways with guitarist Shinya.".
21. (16 July 2021). "Crystal Lake tributes music legends with demonic single "CURSE"".
22. (28 September 2022). "Vocalist Ryo Kinoshita Announces His Exit From Crystal Lake, Band Holding Open Auditions For New Singer".
23. (13 March 2023). "Ex-THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE Vocalist Joins CRYSTAL LAKE".
24. (11 March 2023). "Crystal Lake『THE LIGHT』Vocal Audition -Season 2- #6".
25. (1 July 2023). "Crystal Lake’s monumental "Rebirth" music video spotlights new vocalist".
26. (9 October 2025). "Crystal Lake announce new album 'The Weight of Sound' and debut title track". Lambgoat.
27. Viscovi, Sage. (2 December 2016). "12 up-and-coming bands from Japan you need to know".
28. Sahota, Shalimar. (4 September 2017). "CRYSTAL LAKE announce UK tour for October".
29. Gallier, Thea De. (31 January 2017). "Crystal Lake - True North album review".
30. Bryant, Tom. (18 August 2014). "Six Pack: Unlikely and unexpectedly good cover versions".
31. (22 July 2017). "Crystal Lake is back with a live music video!".
32. Peters, Mark. (24 March 2017). "Japanese metal heads Crystal Lake are ready to connect at Hidden Agenda".
33. Sievers, Alex. (20 February 2019). "Crystal Lake – Helix".
34. Senior, Nicholas. (5 March 2019). "Album Review: Crystal Lake – Helix".
35. Smith-Engelhardt, Joe. (13 February 2019). "Crystal Lake – Helix". Exclaim.
36. Deilami, Darien. (18 January 2019). "CRYSTAL LAKE: HELIX – REVIEW (2019)".
37. Vibe, Japan. "Metalcore heroes – an interview with Crystal Lake’s Ryo".
38. "Crystal Lakeのアルバム". [[Oricon]].
39. (19 October 2015). "''Billboard'' Japan Top Albums Sales {{!}} Charts".
40. (12 December 2016). "''Billboard'' Japan Top Albums Sales {{!}} Charts".
41. (10 December 2018). "''Billboard'' Japan Top Albums Sales {{!}} Charts".
42. (18 August 2014). "''Billboard'' Japan Top Albums Sales {{!}} Charts".
43. "Loyal To The Grave / Extinguish The Fire / Crystal Lake – 'Blood Of Judas'".
44. "Crystal Lake / Risen / Unboy".
45. "3 Way Split by Crystal Lake / Risen / Unboy".
46. (12 August 2020). "Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales".
47. "Crystal Lakeのシングル". [[Oricon]].
48. (30 December 2012). "Accept your fate now".
49. (24 April 2013). "Before My Life Fails / フォーローン".
50. (12 June 2013). "Translations / Storm Chaser".
51. (1 January 2015). "Swanky Dankから新年のご挨拶！Ryoコラボ曲PVお披露目".
52. (18 November 2015). "DJ Baku、新曲MVでCrystal Lake・Ryoと気迫に満ちたセッション".
53. (16 October 2017). "Crystal Lake's Ryo lends his voice to END THESE DAYS on "Solace" music video".
54. (22 November 2017). "Final Fantasy XV inspired song from Scintilla, featuring Ryo from CRYSTAL LAKE".
55. Desantis, Zack. (11 April 2018). "Familiar smell, fresh sound on A Scent Like Wolves' 'Spirit Vessel'".
56. (15 February 2019). "The Royal – Deathwatch (feat. Ryo Kinoshita of Crystal Lake) (Official Video)". Long Branch Records [[YouTube]] Channel.
57. Mateo, Alex. (26 August 2019). "Coldrain Perform "Fire Force" Anime's New Opening Theme Song". [[Anime News Network]].
58. (18 August 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: Yokai – Within Destruction". Distorted Sound.
59. (10 July 2020). "Listen To Fit For A King's Crushing New Single, God Of Fire". [[Kerrang!]].
60. (2 November 2020). "LISTEN: Hills Have Eyes: Neuer Song mit Crystal Lake-Frontmann Ryo Kinoshita". More Core.
61. (2 October 2020). "LISTEN: Spiritbox's Crushing Version Of 'Holy Roller' Featuring Crystal Lake's Ryo Kinoshita". [[Rock Sound]].
62. (2 October 2020). "DEXCORE joined by Ryo (Crystal Lake) for heavy "Cibus" music video". JRock News.
63. (12 February 2021). "News: Our Hollow, Our Home Announce New Album, Release 'Remember Me (feat. Ryo Kinoshita)'". New Noise.
64. (7 January 2022). "Esprit D'Air to collaborate with members of The Sisters of Mercy and Crystal Lake in new album Oceans". Metal Planet Music.
65. (25 May 2022). "LISTEN: BRAND OF SACRIFICE Crushing Version Of 'Demon King' Featuring Crystal Lake's Ryo Kinoshita". [[Believe Music]].
66. (27 July 2022). "The Gloom In The Corner-Ronin feat. Ryo Kinoshita". SharpTone Records.
67. (4 June 2020). "SiM brings together 25 bands in "Baseball Bat" music video, from 5th album".