They have been deemed as one of the most underrated and unique bands in metal/heavy music today and have been praised in such publications as Spin and Rolling Stone. With releases on such previous labels as Century Media and Prosthetic Records, Chicago's YAKUZA are one of the most celebrated avant-garde/progressive metal bands today. And with their new album, "Of Seismic Consequence", they have delivered their darkest, heaviest, and pretty much their best album of their storied career. Having done plenty of tours and known for their stunning live performance (their recent appearance at this year's SXSW made quite an impression, one in which Self-Titled Mag's editor and publisher Andrew Parks deemed that in a perfect world, YAKUZA should be bigger than Opeth), the distinct sound that YAKUZA have conjured is a unique mix of several extreme metal genres. Even though YAKUZA's music is hard to directly pinpoint, by fusing progressive metal, post-apocalyptic hardcore, jazz, and a bit of grindcore, all laced with vocalist Bruce Lamont's unique vocal style, YAKUZA's sound is something wholly their own creation and no band in metal or heavy music sound remotely like them. And one cannot forget one of the most distinct traits in YAKUZA's music is of course Bruce Lamont's use of saxophone (and other exotic instruments) that seamlessly find their way into YAKUZA's complex sound picture, as the saxophone has become a defining trait of YAKUZA's sound and plays an important role in it, just as much as the voice, the guitar, and the rhythm section of the bass and drums respectively. "Of Seismic Consequence" will serve as YAKUZA's defining moment. It's a different album for them, again darker and more introspective, less spastic than previous release, yet heavier, rawer (due to the album being captured live at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio and by Sanford Parker at Semaphore Recording Studios), and much more moving and emotionally driven than past releases. Already graced as the best YAKUZA album by prominent music critics, "Of Seismic Consequence" will make a statement as to where the future of heavy music should be headed towards.