Throughout the entire month of July, Chicago experi-metallers, YAKUZA, will reissue their first four albums along with one never-before-heard release through War Crime Recordings. Amount To Nothing, Way Of The Dead, Samsara and Transmutations have been out of print for several years now and in most cases, these reissues will contain unreleased bonus tracks and remixes.
July 1st, 2014 will see the band’s 2000 self-released debut album, Amount To Nothing and Way Of The Dead, originally released by Century Media Records in 2002. Way Of The Dead will include a cover of John Coltrane’s “Seraphic Light” as a bonus track.
On July 15th, 2014, the band will reissue their Prosthetic Records albums: 2006’s Samsara, featuring two bonus tunes — a James Plotkin (OLD, Scorn, Khanate, Khlyst) remix of “Back To The Mountain” as well as “The Ballad Of Mr. K” — along with 2007’s Transmutations, which boasts Godflesh’s Justin K. Broadrick’s remix of “The Blinding.”
On July 29th, 2014, the never-before-released, “improvisational” recording entitled Kabuki Mono will be unveiled. “Kabuki Mono” has been YAKUZA‘s moniker whenever they perform their mostly instrumental improvisational sets throughout Chicago. This album was originally recorded in the studio in 2001.
Frontman/saxophonist/War Crimes co-owner Bruce Lamont comments: “It’s great that these recordings are available again as so to document the lineage of YAKUZA but we are a band who does not dwell in the past. Into the future. Onward!”
Newer developments for YAKUZA include a recent recording session at Soma Studios in Chicago with engineer and co-War Crime Recordings owner, Sanford Parker. The band has recorded over 100 minutes of improvised material (much like that of the Kabuki Mono recording) and plan to pick the best takes for release sometime early next year.
War Crime Recordings was founded by Chicago residents and musicians Sanford Parker and Bruce Lamont. Parker is probably best known for his production work for Pelican, Yob and countless other bands. He’s also founded cult doomster, Buried At Sea and at one time has been listed in the ranks of such innovative groups as Minsk, Twilight and Nachtmystium. Lamont leads the avant-garde unclassifiable troupe, YAKUZA, fronts the psychedelic post doom band, Bloodiest and has been involved in the Chicago music scene in one way or another since he was teenager. He’s also been a guest player on dozens of recordings. Both Lamont and Parker are in Corrections House along with Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod) and Scott Kelly (Neurosis) and have released that band’s catalog on vinyl through the label.
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