Being in LA at the same time as Japanese metalcore giants Crystal Lake, I was lucky to get the opportunity to speak to them about how they clicked with John as their new vocalist, experiences on tour, some hilarious episodes and future plans for the band.
It turned out to be a funny mix of Japanese 🇯🇵 and English 🇬🇧 and I've added subtitles in the respective language to make this chat available to a broader audience.
German 🇩🇪 subtitles can be enabled → (c)
Date: 2024/04/23 Live footage @ The Belasco, Los Angeles, USA
Make sure to leave a thumbs up 👍 and subscribe to my channel 🔔 ♡
Big thanks to Crystal Lake: YD, John, Mitsuru, Gaku and TJ
And to my assistance: Antea
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
00:00 Intro / Member introduction
01:16 About the auditions and first impressions
02:47 John, did you speak Japanese before you joined the band?
03:41 Where does the Instagram name "hatechvrch" come from?
04:18 What made you choose John as the new vocalist, even though there might be a language barrier?
05:13 Are you writing the songs all together?
06:03 Who sings the clean vocals on "DYSTOPIA"? / Will there be more clean vocals in the future?
07:02 What music influences you and where do you get your inspiration from?
10:44 Gaku, do you always stand up while playing the drums at shows?
12:08 Is there going to be a TRUE NORTH festival this year?
13:04 What are your memories from the last overseas tours? / Is there anything you're looking forward to?
17:03 What was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you on stage?
19:46 What are you doing on your days off?
20:40 If you were stranded on a desert island, who is most likely to survive?
21:36 Are you planning to release a new single or album soon?
22:02 Message for the fans