Explore coldrain’s New Single ‘EX-HUMANITY’ from Upcoming Album
Japanese alt-metal band coldrain have announced their eighth studio album, OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE, alongside the release of new single ‘EX-HUMANITY’. The album arrives on September 25 via Century Media
Japanese alt-metal band coldrain have announced their eighth studio album, OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE, alongside the release of new single ‘EX-HUMANITY’.
The album arrives on September 25 via Century Media Records and will mark coldrain’s first full-length record since Nonnegative in 2022.
‘EX-HUMANITY’ is the sixth track to be revealed from the 12-song album and the band’s first new music since last year’s OPTIMIZE EP. Previous singles ‘INCOMPLETE’, ‘CHASING SHADOWS’ and ‘FREE FALL’ will also feature on the record.
Musically, ‘EX-HUMANITY’ leans into the contrast that sits at the heart of the new album: an energetic and immediate track paired with lyrics dealing with a considerably bleaker subject.
Vocalist Masato explained:
“EX-HUMANITY is a song built on contrast. Musically, it’s energetic, powerful and alive. Lyrically, it’s intentionally simple, static and full of despair.”
He continued that the song reflects “the tension between what it means to be human and what we could become if we lose the things that make us who we are,” ultimately asking whether the track represents a cry for hope or “a requiem for humanity.”
That question feeds directly into the wider theme of OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE. The album takes aim at a world increasingly shaped by AI and technology, although the band are framing the record less as an anti-AI statement and more as a warning about what can be lost when technology begins to influence how people think, create and interact.
The title itself plays on that idea: the drive to constantly optimise life potentially coming at the expense of the human qualities that make it worth living.
The album will also feature two guest appearances. The Used frontman Bert McCracken appears on ‘POISON’, while Crossfaith vocalist Kenta Koie features on ‘SAVIOR’.
OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE tracklist
- OPTIMIZE
- CHASING SHADOWS
- DIGITOLL
- INCOMPLETE
- FREE FALL
- EX-HUMANITY
- REST OF ME
- POISON (feat. Bert McCracken)
- G.I.A.I.G
- SING
- PICTURE PERFECT HELL
- SAVIOR (feat. Kenta Koie)
The announcement comes ahead of a busy few months for coldrain. The band will join Electric Callboy and Ice Nine Kills in Australia in September before beginning their OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE JAPAN TOUR, which runs from October through December.
OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE is released September 25, 2026 via Century Media Records.
