Review by Rachel Jablonski
My eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness. We were standing in the dingy concrete room on the second floor of the Picador in Iowa City, IA. The place was decorated for Halloween, though it was really unnecessary. The building has a year round spooky feel with creaky stairs, cracked walls, and ill lighting. On stage, the four-piece band awaited their cue to begin. Piercing the darkness, an eerie red light flooded center stage where a long-haired, bearded man stood lonely with his saxophone. I was skeptical. But then it began. Like a spreading light fog, the soothing sounds of the sax began lulling the moderate crowd into wonderment.
Atmospheric, moody, jazzy, Chicago’s Yakuza emerged. On tour in support of their latest release, Transmutations on Prosthetic Records, I immediately understood how the band fit the bill. Though difficult to live up to the stylings of headliner Jesu, the musical presence of Yakuza drew attention in a slightly similar way. Experimental and moody, Yakuza was set to impress on one of their first dates on the tour.
The initial solemn stage presence contrasted the physical “metal” appearance of the quartet. Familiar with Yakuza’s music I was anticipating the metal/hardcore essence, but the effectiveness of the jazz-influenced instrumentation with a saxophone and clarinet was awing live. Slow and doom-filled, the set began, but did not stay that way for long.
Shockingly, even though I had been expecting it, with rash contrast the band broke into an intense metal sound. Extreme and heavy, vocalist Bruce Lamont thrashed around the stage and then into the crowd. With microphone in hand, he moved with violent flare and growled as if in a trance. The crowd stood still as he performed right in front of them as if in another state. Admittedly, I took a step back in fright to stay out of his way. It was intense. But I loved it.
The shifting moods of the progressive sound complimented the darkness of the room as well as my streaming thoughts. The force and concentration of the guitarist, bassist, and drummer was unrelenting as well. Most importantly, the instrumentation was technical and alluring.
Complimenting the brilliance of Jesu, Yakuza was a great addition to the bill and deserves much credit for their daring approach to metal.