Crystal Lake
Alcatraz Line up: 2019
Crystal Lake has to be one of the most energetic bands on this year’s bill. They hail from the land of the rising sun and they’re champing at the bit to demonstrate why they’re so popular in Asia. Founded in Tokyo in 2002, the band was named after the infamous Camp Crystal Lake, the home of Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees. They’ve toured with the likes of Born of Osiris, Parkway Drive, Upon a Burning Body and those other Japanese energy bombs Crossfaith. Especially in recent years there’s been a lot of buzz around the Japanese foursome - or quintet with the addition of their touring bassist. They’ve been making inroads into the European market, with live dates in a number of European countries. In the summer of 2018 they completed an 18-date UK tour. Their 2016 album ‘True North’ was specifically aimed at the European market with typical metalcore vocals and furious, rapid fire riffs. The album run the full gamut of boot-to-throat metalcore to more commercially accessible tracks and progressive metal. Their new CD ‘Helix’ (2018) is set for a mid-February release but meanwhile you might want to check out their single ‘Aeon’.