Yakuza - Sutra

2023 release. Over 10 years after their last release, Yakuza have returned with Sutra losing none of their expansive and wildly artistic approach to pushing the boundaries of heavy music. "Sutra" leans in on redefining the limits of heavy and eclectic metal, with songs like Echoes From The Sky's epic sung vocals and zig zagging slabs of juggernaut riffing, all sewn together with Voivod chords and King Crimson structures, never coming apart but embracing the delightfully chaotic. Like John Coltrane jamming with Napalm Death, Bruce Lamont (saxophone, clarinet, vocals) has discussed an appreciation for Pink Floyd, Huun Huur Tu, Peter Brötzmann, Battles, Enslaved, Brighter Death Now, George Orwell, Ethiopian music, and Blut Aus Nord, perfectly picking up on the multifaceted angles that Yakuza exhibits. Standing in a world utterly of their own making, Yakuza's unique mind-melting post-rock has never felt more ripe and fitting for the current state of the planet. A thinking person's extreme and inventive metal band. Listen to "Sutra" and have your expectations and understanding of heavy music turned upside down and inside out.