SAMSARA

With their second album, YAKUZA created what I believe to be a masterpiece of modern metal, or as most would say 'post-metal', but I believe that tag is just a fragment of the truth as this band has so much more to offer then the stereotypical quiet-loud post-metal noodlings and build-ups.

YAKUZA's first album was a strange and schizoid album, hesitating between brutal NEUROSIS-styled sludge and laid-back improvised psychedelic jazz. "Samsara" combines those two poles of the band's sound in every composition, making this a much more fluent album and more successful in its eclectic approach. The most remarkable feature of this band are Bruce Lamont's saxophone and clarinet, which are played in a ethereal and moody way, much like Miles Davis blows the horn, and they are a driving factor in their quality as well as originality. Vocalist Matt McClelland mostly sticks to his rough shouts. Bruce Lamont adds some spare clean vocals. His Ozzy-ian whine is effective here as it comes in short dosages. It could have gotten boring when applied too much. The songs are amongst the best of their career and the production is superb, very natural, rough around the edges but still clear and well-balanced.

"Samsara" is my favorite Yakuza album, newcomers to the band might also check the more melodic and catchy "Of Seismic Consequence". A much recommended and unique psych-jazz sludge experience.