Category:
Metal

Try if you like:
The Book Of Knots, Tool, Type O Negative

I was recommended Yakuza by hstisgod many months ago but it kind of got lost in the shuffle and I didn't really pay any attention to it (sorry B). But when Transmutations landed on my desk I remembered that recommendation and decided to give it a shot. I have one word for this album: refreshing. That word needs refinement though. Yakuza doesn't bring you refreshing music. Instead, this is refreshing in a world of copycat metal artists out there. Yakuza comes from Chicago which is known for refreshing music in general but I can't recall a metal band from the great city. No, most of them are pop or rock oriented. Sunn o))) comes to mind and even Japan's Boris but better yet is those two bands combined into one powerhouse and you might come close to what I experienced on Transmutations.

The album opens with my favorite titled song: "Meat Curtain" and after hearing this song you will either run for cover or be biting at the bit for more. Ferocity mixed with drone metal is the best way to describe the best opening metal track in years. This carries on with most of the other songs as well. Another stand out is the aggressive "Steal The Fire" that gets going at breakneck speed. But then they do switch things up and go the Sunn o))) route on tracks like "The Blinding", slower dirges that sound like haunting mind-fucks. And when throws us "Existence Into Oblivion", a more traditional dark-metal track, you know that these guys have only one agenda: be loud and heavy.

I am awestruck at how grand and large Yakuza is able to make their music. If you like metal, hardcore, drone, or any other heavy music I would highly recommend checking out this Chicago band. Transmutations is a diverse album and a great place to start experimenting with Yakuza.