The Chicago hardcore/metal quartet
Yakuza formed in July 1999, consisting of vocalist/saxophonist
Bruce Lamont, guitarist
Eric Plonka, bassist
Eric Clark, and drummer
James Staffel. They released their first album, Amount to Nothing, in 2000 on the small independent label Product del Diablo, eventually winning the attention of Century Media, with whom they signed for their next album. That release, entitled
Way of the Dead, came out in the fall of 2002, again showcasing the band's unique take on hardcore and metal, blended with other sounds and styles running the gamut from Tuvan throat singing to free jazz saxophones to sprawling instrumental post-rock. The band's third long-player, 2006's
Samsara, was also their first outing for the Prosthetic label, and featured guest appearances from pianist Jim Baker, cellist
Fred Lonberg-Holm,
Minsk's
Sanford Parker, and
Mastodon's Troy Sanders. The expansive, psych-tinged
Transmutations arrived in 2007, followed by the Profound Lore-issued
Of Seismic Consequence and
Beyul in 2011 and 2012, respectively. ~ William York