Yakuza : "Sutra"

 Chicago Avant - Guardians are back. It's been over ten years since their last release. There is a more focused intention to bring the heavy here. Bruce Lamont, moans with more anger on the off-kilter opening track that is framed with dissonance. "Alice" has a deliberate metal chug kicks it into motion. The music shifts under the vocals. In many ways, it feels like a noise rock band that managed to capture a massive sound by mistake and shed punk aspirations for metal grandiosity. There is a grungy atmosphere when their thoughts turn inward, which keeps a great dynamic balance.  "Echoes From the Sky" has a more math rock chaos, that keeps the pulse of the song writhing through the riffs that are being thrown. This rougher edge does cause them to compromise the melody, leaving Bruce to yell at you more often than not here. It might sound like sludge if it was slowed down some. As I typed those words that is what happened. The result is more like a Swans like creep, as the burly bass keeps booming behind them. e

"Embers" finds them ebbing down into a more Doors like place where Bruce's croon feels most comfortable. "Capricorn Rising' works off a similar vibe before midway into the song it bursts into a pretty much straight up metal attack . There is a thrashed out sludge feel to it that reminds me of earlier Mastodon. " Burn Before Reading" carries this energy further into a metal maelstrom. The chug of the guitars has a more thrash influence aggression to the tension being held. Two and a half minutes into it, there is a shift into a more atmospheric section for the sax to float along. They come hammering back with more sludge tinged syncopation. I like the dark exotic slither of "Walking God". The moodier moments are some of the album's strongest. It builds up into a gradually heavier deliberation with it settling down like a storm. 

"Into Forever" is almost like a Melvins song. It's has a cool straight up metal riff that drives it, with left of center vocals, so occupies the same space as the Melvins. The odd vocal phrasing, which comes from a much less emotionally aggressive place than most metal , keeps up it's weird streak for "Psychic Malaise". This song is not as catchy as the others. The riffs are jerked around with a bit of awkwardness. This creates the effect I think they are going for, however I am not sure how pleasing it is to my ears in this instance. There is a more spacious mood as if they are sailing into the dusk on the last song, slowly builds with a more epic dynamic on the last song. They do proggy in a weird way, which is more accurate if you are thinking about bands like Vander Graf Generator and King Crimson, though the song converges upon the more sludged-out riffage that empowers the bulk of this album. I will give this album a 9, as it's return to form for the band though takes close notes from their peers. Highly enjoyable listen, let's see how it grows on me. 

Bury the Machines : "Wicked Covenant"

John E Bomher of the Chicago based  band Yakuza released a solo album where he is a one man sludge band. He blends bleak melodies and layers the vocals on the first song so the more droning sung vocals sits over an almost black metal rasp. I like this much better than the typical gruff bark most sludge bands rely on. The song builds into a stompier more metal section that expands the dynamic journey he takes you and makes this the eps strongest moments. It more progressive than your typical sludge act , but doesn't over do it like say Mastodon. The song does go into more typical territory of what you might normally expect from sludge with big lumbering riffs.

There are some St. Vitus like doom moments on the more stream lined  "Victims" tears" The song drones on the same almost grunged out groove and reminds me of Warrior Soul in the nuances of the vocal phrases where he sings about squandering the years."Waterweapon" starts off as a subdued ballad like melodic piece. When it kicks in things stick to pretty much what you expect from a sludge band though with a slight transcendental sense of soaring. The guitar melodies are more metal and very thoughtful. This guy doesn't wast many notes and I think the guitar solos here really add to the songs.

I'll give this album a 9, I am unsure if it will make the transition over to the iPod as it's more coasting on a sea of bong smoke as nightfall comes sort of album rather than something that is upbeat on the go kinda music. If you like sludge this is an album that is worth your time.

2.7

Yakuza:Beyul

After New York who has the best experimental metal scene, Chicago seems to be where the most forward thinking metal is coming from I the states these days.

I like the middle eastern flare to the opening strains of "Oil and Water" ,when the song goes into the gallop the vocals remind me of Only Living Witness.Three and a half minute in the riff age becomes almost death metal in its heaviness. This track had way more drive than I expected really only familiar with Lamont's work in the Bloodiest before I picked this up.

"One the Last day" takes a grungier , almost Soundgarden like take, with Lamont sounding more like Cornell than Ozzy to me Becuase his range is more comfortable as a baritone than reaching for tenor notes. The phrasing in the faster sections might be more Ozzy. The cello over the doomish descending patterns adds to the sonng's a mournful quality. The drummer on this album is fantastic.

"Man is Machine" Sludges it's way into motion , Lamont's wail takes on a lethargic moan as the distortions drips down like lava from the upper layers of hell. The Cornell approach is still there , the riff speeds up into a weird jazz thrash and the veer fro the grunge thing yet stay cleanly sung which I admire. A lot happens by the time they are three minutes into the song and it's an eight minute piece. Some of the palm muted riffs employed remind me a little of the Jesus Lizard at times and I suppose there could even be some Tool comparisons tossed about as well.

"Fire Temple and Beyond" begins with slower paced doom and the plead of the sax in the distance. The tribal groove creeps out of the shadow with the guitar. Flirting with going in a more Doors like direction. The chug rips out of nowhere, it's thick and unwieldy over the chant of ... No light suspended in the sky. The bass redeems some of the lowest common denominator nature of the chug allowing the guitar to venture off into more of a harmony. The vocals seem a little flat over the heavier progression, and where their delivery compensated for this tendency , where they sit makes this a little more obvious and where they were more Soundgarden earlier on they remind me mor of Eddie Vedder here.

"Mouth of the Lion" is much more straight forward post eighties metal. In comparison to some of the wildly winding sonic adventures it's hard to put something so single purpose in perspective.

"Species" starts off heavy and spastic with the vocals having more of a Tom Araya feel to them and this song is only a minute and a half so hard to get anything really established I that time frame.

"Lotus Array" the languid intro floats the song in on sax laced opium clouds. It feels a little like some from Miles Davis's "Sketches of Spain" period, the vocals lend it more of a Doors element, thought the Vedder still haunts them slightly. it dopes build into a little more metal section but the song retains its haunting quality even when the double bass comes in. I like how the sonic elements ride against the thrashier side.

I don't think the little excursions into the more straight ahead territory do the album any justice as the more epic soundscapes presented earlier on don't mesh with them in the albums overall feel or what the beginning really sets the tone for. The their credit the cooler elements of jazz and to a lesser degrees world music they bring to the table are so cool and work so well I have no problem rounding this up to an eight.