Credit: Maciej Kucia – coldrain
The Japanese rock band’s latest single features The Used frontman and arrives ahead of its September 25 album and ongoing 2026 touring schedule.
coldrain has joined forces with Bert McCracken of The Used for “POISON,” the latest single from the Japanese band’s forthcoming eighth studio album, OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE.
Released August 28, the collaboration brings together two acts with an existing touring connection. coldrain previously joined The Used as a special guest during an Australian run in 2023, giving “POISON” a link to a relationship already established on the road.
The track will appear on OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE, which is scheduled for release September 25, 2026 through Century Media Records. The album will contain 12 songs, including previously issued tracks “INCOMPLETE,” “CHASING SHADOWS,” “FREE FALL” and “EX-HUMANITY.”
Vocalist Masato described “POISON” as a song about the point where love and desire begin to become consuming.
“Poison is a song about love and desire—about how something, or someone, you love can become so addictive that it’s easy to lose yourself in it,” Masato said. “Trying to find the right dosage of that love—enough to satisfy you without letting it consume you—feels like one of the most human struggles there is.”
McCracken’s appearance gives the track an additional connection to the emo and alternative rock influences that have long existed within coldrain’s broader heavy sound.
Masato also cited McCracken as a longtime influence on the band.
“The song also features killer vocals from the one and only Bert McCracken of The Used, one of our all-time favorite singers,” he said. “His signature voice brings a rawness and emotional intensity to the track that makes Poison feel like a timeless emo masterpiece.”
That final characterization reflects the band’s own view of the collaboration, but the pairing itself fits naturally within coldrain’s history. Since forming in Japan in 2007, the group has built its sound from a mix of heavy rock, nu-metal, emo, screamo and melodic rock rather than committing to a single subgenre.
That genre-crossing approach continues on OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE. The album’s concept, according to material accompanying the release, centers on questions of technology, artificial intelligence and the erosion of individual thought, but the band does not frame the record as a simple rejection of AI or technology.
Instead, the album uses those subjects as a broader way to examine identity, human behavior and the danger of becoming disconnected from independent thought.
The record also includes another guest appearance on its closing track, “SAVIOR,” featuring Kenta Koie of Crossfaith and AFTERVOID.
The release arrives during an active touring period for coldrain. The band is currently in Australia as part of Electric Callboy’s TANZNEID WORLD TOUR alongside Ice Nine Kills. The Perth date took place September 4, with additional shows scheduled in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane through September 12.
coldrain will then return to Japan for the OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE JAPAN TOUR 2026, beginning October 6 at CLUB CITTA’ in Kawasaki and continuing through December 9 at TOYOSU PIT in Tokyo.
That touring schedule gives the band little downtime between the September 25 album release and the start of its domestic headline run, placing OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE directly at the center of coldrain’s fall and winter activity.
Album Information
coldrain — OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE
Release Date: September 25, 2026
Label: Century Media Records
Album: Eighth full-length
Tracks: 12
Track Listing
OPTIMIZE
CHASING SHADOWS
DIGITOLL
INCOMPLETE
FREE FALL
EX-HUMANITY
REST OF ME
POISON (feat. Bert McCracken of The Used)
G.I.A.I.G
SING
PICTURE PERFECT HELL
SAVIOR (feat. Kenta Koie of Crossfaith, AFTERVOID)
Tour Dates
TANZNEID WORLD TOUR w/ Electric Callboy & Ice Nine Kills
09/04/2026 — Perth, Australia — RAC Arena
09/06/2026 — Adelaide, Australia — Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
09/08/2026 — Melbourne, Australia — Rod Laver Arena
09/10/2026 — Sydney, Australia — Qudos Bank Arena
09/12/2026 — Brisbane, Australia — Riverstage
OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE JAPAN TOUR 2026
10/06/2026 — Kawasaki, Japan — CLUB CITTA’
10/10/2026 — Hiroshima, Japan — BLUE LIVE HIROSHIMA
10/17/2026 — Fukuoka, Japan — UNITED LAB
10/21/2026 — Sapporo, Japan — PENNY LANE24
10/22/2026 — Sapporo, Japan — PENNY LANE24
11/01/2026 — Kanazawa, Japan — EIGHT HALL
11/03/2026 — Niigata, Japan — NIIGATA LOTS
11/29/2026 — Sendai, Japan — SENDAI GIGS
12/01/2026 — Osaka, Japan — NAMBA HATCH
12/02/2026 — Nagoya, Japan — COMTEC PORTBASE
12/09/2026 — Tokyo, Japan — TOYOSU PIT
Band Lineup
Masato — Vocals
Y.K.C — Guitar
Sugi — Guitar
RxYxO — Bass guitar
Katsuma — Drums
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