What’s the 4-1-1?
After forming in 1999, and quickly releasing two albums in the next few years, Yakuza went on to gain crossover success live, playing alongside Opeth, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Lacuna Coil, and Mastodon. They describe their sound as a mixture of King Crimson, all periods of John Coltrane’s career, Tortoise, and Napalm Death.
Genre
Hard rock / hardcore / metal / progressive
The Good
“Cancer of the Industry” starts off with pounding drums and Eastern-influenced wind instruments. It doesn’t take long before the calm turns into a thunderstorm of driving riffs and furious vocals. “Monkey Tail” focuses more on mellow structures with woodwind instrumentation and subtle guitar. Yakuza may paint a peaceful scene at first, but in the fevering final minutes, they really drive it home. “Dishonor” comes at you with mighty riffs, blood-thirsty vocals, and devastating drum work from start to finish.
Thoughts of being lost in a dark, scary jungle are what will ring through you brain when you hear “20 Bucks.” The vocals are haunting and echoed when they’re not filled with rage and intensity. The nine-minute epic “Back to the Mountain” is by far the best track on the album. Not only is it true to the hardcore form, but the Eastern influence adds texture and grander appeal to the track.
The Bad
Nothing notable
The Verdict
Samsara is defined by its unique blend of progressive elements and kick ass metal. The group’s unique approach of expected heaviness versus unexpected elements is quite refreshing.
Did You Know?
The band’s name refers to a group that is considered the mafia of Japan. A couple of their rituals before joining is to heavily tattoo your body and to lop off your pinkie finger.
Article comments
1 - Steve C.
There's no interminable twenty-minute instrumentals on this one, is there? Because I still remember that damn meandering nonsense that closed out the otherwise-fine Way of the Dead.
2 - George Dionne
Nope. The longest song is the last one; nine minutes or so.
3 - Steve C.
Sweet. This just moved up to the head of my must-buy list, then.