But that’s an issue for another time and forum. The very first band to be announced for the 2015 edition of the festival isn’t exactly a household name, even in heavy music circles in Australia. But of course, just because you may not have heard of a band, doesn’t mean they’re not any good. It is Japan heavy act Coldrain, and they are excellent. They play a very high energy style of melodic metalcore, and they will be well worth checking out.
Frontman Masato David Hayakawa, speaking from Tokyo, tells us that he and the band were blown away to be the first band announced, as well as touring Australia for the first time.
“We feel very good man, it’s crazy!” he enthuses, “It’s going to be our first time, I can’t believe that (Soundwave) is going to be our first time! It was one of those times when you think people are playing around with you, but then to be announced as the first band, it felt like a prank. But then it dawned on us that it wasn’t, so it’s so cool man.”
Part of the attraction is that Hayakawa and the band have heard excellent things about the festival and our country. “People say it’s one of the best countries to go to,” he states. “I’ve talked to so many people that say that their favourite country to play in is Australia, so I have only high hopes. Totally stoked.”
Many people are no doubt wondering who Coldrain are, and what they are about. Their Facebook page cites them as a ‘rock’ band, but there’s a lot more to them than that. Hayakawa is happy to explain why they keep it simple on their Facebook page, and to go into a little more detail about their musical style for the Aussie punters.
“We never really want to put a theme on the kind of music we play,” he reveals. “We definitely have the riffs in there, and all those live elements in there in our music, but we always try to keep the melodic side there as well. That’s where our Japanese influences come into it. We always try to keep it melodic and heavy at the same time.”
The band have three albums out, and he is quick to point to the latest one as a best example of their work for Australian listeners to check out.
“Basically, from our older material, everything that’s on YouTube will be enough for people to check out, as far as the live show is concerned,” he explains. “But we have our new record The Revelation coming out in Australia, and we have our newest material on a new EP, called Until the End, added to that. So that’s definitely going to be a good introduction for us in Australia. I can’t wait to see how people react to those.”
Apparently their high energy music on record reaches a new level of intensity in a live setting, so no doubt Coldrain will be a band to catch at the festival next year.
“We’re all for the moshing, the headbanging, the crowdsurfing and mostly we’re all for people singing and having a good time, so we’re all for anything anyone wants to do. So yeah, energy is the most important thing.”
In 2013, Soundwave had another excellent Japanese band by the name of Crossfaith on the bill. While they weren’t the best known band on last year’s lineup, they blew many people who caught them away, and left our shores with many new fans. Hayakawa tells us that Crossfaith are great friends of theirs; they have played together many times and the heavy music scene in Japan is a small but healthy one at the moment.
“It’s always been a small scene, but there’s a lot of good bands there,” he says. “I think Crossfaith have given a lot of good influence to a lot of good bands. They have influenced us quite strongly, actually, musically and in the way they set up their career. Like doing everything internationally, they’re one of the bands that showed us that it’s possible. I think for them to be doing as good as they are outside of Japan, it’s so good for the scene.
“Because of them, and because of us going outside of Japan too, it’s getting bigger and better every year. And I think everyone outside of Japan will definitely be seeing more Japanese bands in the future.
“But yeah, Crossfaith, they’re crazy man, on and offstage!” he laughs uproariously. “Those guys are like brothers to us.”
BY ROD WHITFIELD
