Yakuza

The Chicago hardcore/metal quartet Yakuza formed in July 1999, comprising vocalist/saxophonist Bruce Lamont, guitarist Eric Plonka, bassist Eric Clark, and drummer Wayne Staffel. They released their 1st album, Total Nothing at all, in 2000 on the tiny independent label Item del Diablo, ultimately winning the eye of Century Press, with whom they authorized for their following album. That launch, entitled Method of the Deceased, arrived in nov 2002, once again showcasing the band’s exclusive undertake hardcore and metallic, blended with additional sounds and designs operating the gamut from Tuvan neck singing to free of charge jazz saxophones to sprawling instrumental post-rock. The band’s third long-player, 2006’s Samsara, was also their 1st outing for the Prosthetic label, and presented guest looks from pianist Jim Baker, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, Minsk’s Sanford Parker, and Mastodon’s Troy Sanders. The expansive, psych-tinged Transmutations found its way to 2007, accompanied by the Profound Lore-issued Of Seismic Outcome and Beyul in 2011 and 2012, respectively.