''Final Destination'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Japanese

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Coldrain Coldrain (stylized in all lowercase) are a Japanese rock band from Nagoya, Japan, who were formed in 2007. The band combines melodic singing with screams typical of the post-hardcore genre. Although the band is Japanese, all of their songs are w ...

. Recorded at Studio Sonorous Audio in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

which was self produced by

Masato Hayakawa (born December 17, 1986), known professionally as Masato, is a Japanese singer, musician, songwriter, producer and model. He is known for being the bandleader and vocalist of the Japanese rock band Coldrain since their formation in 2007. He was ...

and Ryo Yokochi, it was released on October 28, 2009, by VAP. ''Final Destination'' was exclusively released in

, along with the second studio album follow-up '' The Enemy Inside'', which was released in 2011. ''Final Destination'' debuted and peaked at number 88 on the

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon A ...

, before dropping out of the charts completely the following week. The album housed three singles, two of which were released as

maxi-single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...

s. "

Fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

" in November 2008 and " 8AM" in April 2009 respectively. The final single, "Final Destination", was released 5 days prior to the album's release. In 2024, the band released a re-recorded version of ''Final Destination'' for the album's fifteenth anniversary, entitled ''Final Destination (XV Re:Recorded)''. Alongside the release, "Vengeance" was released in tandem with the release as an additional track on the tracklist. It was initially released on 10 February 2024 as a venue-only limited CD sale at their homecoming show in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, but due to high fan demand, the band later released the re-recorded album worldwide on digital services after the conclusion of the album's fifteenth-anniversary tour on 26 May 2024 via

Warner Music Japan Warner Music Group (WMG) owns, has a joint share, or is associated with the record labels listed here. Flagship labels *Atlantic Records *Elektra Records *Parlophone Records *Warner Records Atlantic Music Group * 1st & 15th Entertainment * A ...

. "

Vengeance Vengeance may refer to: *Vengeance (concept) or revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Film * ''Vengeance'' (1930 film), action adventure film directed by Archie Mayo * ''Vengeance'' (1937 film) or ''W ...

" was released as a single to promote the re-recorded album on 11 February 2024, as well as

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...

and s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

's anime

Ninja Kamui ''Ninja Kamui'' (stylized in all caps) is an original anime television series produced by E&H Production and Sola Entertainment with executive production by Williams Street. The series aired from February to May 2024 in the United States on ...

to which it is the opening theme.

Background

In the early 2000s,

and

Katsuma Minatani Coldrain (stylized in all lowercase) are a Japanese rock band from Nagoya, Japan, who were formed in 2007. The band combines melodic singing with screams typical of the post-hardcore genre. Although the band is Japanese, all of their songs are w ...

met in high school in their hometown of

, Japan. They quickly became friends and due to their mutual love for heavy music, joined a band called

Script of Creation (born December 17, 1986), known professionally as Masato, is a Japanese singer, musician, songwriter, producer and model. He is known for being the bandleader and vocalist of the Japanese rock band Coldrain since their formation in 2007. He was ...

together, before they quickly disbanded. Hayakawa and Minatani then started their own band called

AVER Aver may refer to: People * , Russian botanist Places * Aver lake or Aver See, Germany Organisations * AVER (band) * AVer Information, Taiwanese company * American Veterans for Equal Rights See also *Vow A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise ...

with Hayakawa as the vocalist and guitarist, while Minatani was the drummer. They created a buzz around the local music scene, playing in clubs, before crossing paths with another band called Wheel of Life which had

Ryo Shimizu Coldrain (stylized in all lowercase) are a Japanese rock band from Nagoya, Japan, who were formed in 2007. The band combines melodic singing with screams typical of the post-hardcore genre. Although the band is Japanese, all of their songs are w ...

as the vocalist, with Ryo Yokochi and

Kazuya Sugiyama Coldrain (stylized in all lowercase) are a Japanese rock band from Nagoya, Japan, who were formed in 2007. The band combines melodic singing with screams typical of the post-hardcore genre. Although the band is Japanese, all of their songs are w ...

as the guitarists. They rivalled for a while before the two bands bonded after hearing

Sevendust Sevendust is an American Rock music, rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vinnie Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly (musician), John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon an ...

at one of the rehearsals they both attended. Due to their similar influences, both bands disbanded and formed a local supergroup on 17 April 2007. They decided to name the band Coldrain with Hayakawa as the lead vocalist, Yokochi, Sugiyama and Shimizu as the lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist and bassist respectively, with Minatani as the drummer. In an interview on

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a touring rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United S ...

in 2016, Hayakawa stated they wanted to name the band something associated with their favourite colour, which was blue. In an earlier interview with ''

Scuzz Scuzz was a British 24-hour rock and metal music television channel owned and operated by Sony Pictures Television. It was launched on 17 April 2003 and went on to be the highest-rated rock TV station on the Sky satellite platform, available in ...

'' at

Download Festival Download Festival is a rock festival created by Andy Copping, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 2019); Flemington ...

, Hayakawa joked that they wanted their CD's to be billed next to

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

in stores which also partially inspired their name. The band quickly gained a cult following in their hometown by playing gigs in clubs and high school gyms, handing out CD demos after every performance. The first material the band ever recorded and released in 2007 was titled ''1st'', which included the first songs they ever recorded together such as "Painting" and "My Addiction". The band's second demo, released on 11 January 2008, was eponymously titled ''Coldrain'', featuring early demos of "

" and "Come Awake". It also included a song called "Been So Long", which has never been ever released outside of the demo, making it the rarest song in the band's entire discography. In 2008, the band signed with the label VAP and embarked on their first nationwide tour, playing their first-ever concert outside of their hometown in

on 13 April. In August of the same year, they re-recorded "Fiction" and released their debut single as a CD

on 5 November. The band later opened for

Story of the Year Story of the Year is an American rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri, Story of the Year at Allmusic.comAccessed May 17, 2007. in 1995 under the name 67 North. The band eventually changed their name to Big Blue Monkey in 1998, and then subs ...

and

As I Lay Dying ''As I Lay Dying'' is a 1930 Southern Gothic novel by American author William Faulkner. Faulkner's fifth novel, it is consistently ranked among the best novels of the 20th century.The New Lifetime Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to World Lit ...

as part of the first Japanese

Taste of Chaos Taste of Chaos (or "TOC") was a live music tour that was started in the winter of 2005 by Kevin Lyman, the creator of the successful Warped Tour along with his friend and business partner, John Reese. The Taste of Chaos tour catered to fans of ...

tour. Shortly after, the band recorded and released the album's second maxi single " 8AM" on 8 April 2009. The title song was also used as the ending theme for the anime '' Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger''. On 7 August 2009, the band played at

Summer Sonic is an annual music festival held on one weekend in August simultaneously in both Chiba and Osaka, Japan. The festival features revolving lineups performing one day in Osaka then performing the next day in Chiba and vice-versa. The lineup often ...

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, which was headlined by Beyonce,

Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto (drummer), John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers (bassist), Sam ...

and

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...

. Alongside playing at the festival, the band officially announced their debut album ''Final Destination'' which was released on 28 October 2009. On 23 October, the band released the album's title track "Final Destination", as the record's third and final single alongside an accompanying music video.

Composition

Styles and influences

''Final Destination'' has been stylistically described by critics as

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

, and

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

. The album featured the two remastered singles "

" and " 8AM", while the album also featured demos of songs that were never previously released, such as "Painting", which was the first song the band had ever recorded and wrote together. Frontman

stated in an interview with ''Gekirock'' that the recording process in the studio during July 2009 that they never "felt bored", to which their lead guitarist Ryo Yokochi added that they wanted the record to sound natural. The band recorded the album on a tight schedule that added "tension" to the recording process, that Yokochi felt greatly impacted the album positively. The band were inspired by various different sounds such as

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is a subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002 Access date: June 15, 2 ...

and heavy metal, while also looking at bands like

Taking Back Sunday Taking Back Sunday is an American rock band from Amityville, New York, formed by guitarist Eddie Reyes and bassist Jesse Lacey in late 1999. The band's current members are Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), John Nolan (lead guitar, keyboards, voc ...

and

Dark New Day Dark New Day was an American hard rock supergroup formed in 2004 featuring Brett Hestla of Virgos Merlot, Clint Lowery of Sevendust, Troy McLawhorn of DoubleDrive, Corey Lowery of Stereomud and Stuck Mojo, and Will Hunt of Skrape. Their ...

as other sources of inspiration. Hayakawa commented that the band wanted to mix

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and loud aggressive music together to form the band's core sound. Muraoka of ''Gekirock'' compared the songs on the album to the likes of

Hoobastank Hoobastank (sometimes stylized as h∞bastank, and originally known as Hoobustank) is an American rock band formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, by lead vocalist Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassis ...

and

Lostprophets Lostprophets (stylised as lostprophets or LOSTPROPHETS) were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The group was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruit ...

, to which they would further liken the sound of ''Final Destination'' to a

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

sword.

Lyrics and themes

The album's title track, "Final Destination" is about "a heroic determination to move forward with a life from which there is no turning back" and has been described as a "wonderful

song with a catchy melody", that ended up becoming a fan favourite live staple for the band. "Counterfeits and Lies" tackles themes of the evils of television, "Fiction" and "24-7" are about "two-faced" friends, while "Someday" is about the life of working a dayjob. ''Final Destination'' also tackles themes of

love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

, survival instincts and the art of

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

. The album's name was titled after the band's ambition for the record being a personal goal and a starting point in the band's journey.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits retrieved from the album's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

. Coldrain * – lead vocals, lyricist, producer * – lead guitar,

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

, keyboards, producer,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

* – rhythm guitar, backing vocals * – bass guitar, backing vocals * – drums, percussion Additional personnel * Koichi Hara –

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...

, mixing * Hokuto Fukami – assistant engineer * Hiromichi Takiguchi – mastering (Parasight Mastering,

) Additional personnel (''Final Destination (XV Re:Recorded)'') * Sam Guaiana – mixing * Mike Kalajian – mastering (Rogue Planet Mastering,

Gardiner Gardiner may refer to: Places Settlements ;Canada * Gardiner, Ontario ;United States * Gardiner, Maine * Gardiner, Montana * Gardiner (town), New York ** Gardiner (CDP), New York * Gardiner, Oregon * Gardiner, Washington * West Gardiner, ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, US)

Charts

Original album

Final Destination XV

Release history

Original album

Final Destination XV

References

External links

* *
''Final Destination''
at

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

(streamed copy where licensed)
''Final Destination XV (Re:Recorded)''
at

(streamed copy where licensed) {{Authority control 2009 debut albums Coldrain albums Punk rock albums by Japanese artists Albums produced by Masato Hayakawa