Ten years on, Crystal Lake return to 'Into The Great Beyond' with a fresh redux

An old ghost of Crystal Lake's past is brought back to life with this healthy new re-recording of 'Into The Great Beyond.'

Back in 2010, Crystal Lake released their second album, 'Into The Great Beyond,' with original vocalist Kentaro Nishimura, who had fronted the band since it's formation in 2002. Now in 2020, after infinite more success and popularity gained, and with Ryo Kinoshita fronting them and with the only remaining original member, guitarist Yudai Miyamoto, still on-board, Crystal Lake have re-recorded that old titular track, imbuing it with whole new life. And I enjoy it a hell of a lot more than their last two singles.

Taken from their new re-recorded compilation album, 'The Voyages' (which is out now), this polished and faithful tenth-anniversary redux is a really interesting juxtaposition of where Crystal Lake once was, were they went in the years following it, and what they're up to currently. (And fun fact: Kentaro actually returns to guest features on this new compilation record's fourth song, 'The Passage.')

Retroactively, you notice much of what the Japanese metalcore band did on 'Helix' and the singles that book-end said 2019 LP within this re-imagining of 'Into The Great Beyond.' Like the song's bright melodic guitar leads, Ryo's passionate mid-range screams or his higher, deathcore-like screams, and all of the speedy double-kicks, hardcore beatdowns and crew vocals. A decade ago in their lifespan as a musical unit, there was clear influence from bands like Throwdown, Bury Your Dead, The Ghost Inside, who the band would later cover, as well as early Parkway Drive. (Which by transitive property, is just old Unearth and Heaven Shall Burn.) Contrast it to the original, it's riff-for-riff and breakdown-for-breakdown the same, but now more anthemic. Along with far smoother production values and an added two-minute atmospheric section for the finale's credits to thank the crowd funding backers of the project.

Other than being a very cool re-creation of their past work, 'Into The Great Beyond' is almost like a self-fulling prophecy: "you will find your own way." And found their own way, Crystal Lake most certainly have! No defeat, no surrender, and all that. Ten years ago, they were a practically an unknown entity in heavy music outside of their native Japan. But now in 2020, they're bigger than ever with passionate fans the world over, as they tour with and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the very best in the scene. Their journey has been massive thus far, and no matter what you or I may think about their old or new music, there's only more for them to conquer.