Crystal Lake

A Japanese melodic metalcore group that folds elements of progressive and nu metal into their hard-hitting sound, Crystal Lake emerged onto the Tokyo hardcore scene in the early 2000s. Drawing from the punishing sonic assault of mid-'90s hardcore, the band, which is built around the core trio of vocalist Ryo Kinoshita, lead guitarist Yudai Miyamoto, and rhythm guitarist Shinya Hori, issued a string of demos, splits, and EPs before releasing their first full-length, Dimension, in 2006 via Imperium Recordings. A split-LP with Austrian rockers Cleave arrived in 2008, followed by high-profile Japanese shows alongside Parkway Drive and Shai Hulud. The group's sophomore full-length effort, The Great Beyond, was issued in 2011, followed by the Cubes EP in 2014. In 2015, the band inked a deal with American label Artery Records and JPU Records in Europe and the U.K., and released their third long-player, The Sign, with True North arriving just one year later. The band moved to Sharptone Records for album number five, 2018's hard-driving Helix. ~ James Christopher Monger