With high praise from the metal press, local and national newspapers, and highbrow publications alike, Chicago"s YAKUZA has succeeded in garnering attention of all kinds, all the while not compromising the band"s free-flowing and spontaneous musical integrity. Regardless, YAKUZA remains independent, maintaining an almost indescribable sound that picks and plucks from a wealth of influences and inspirations. Staying deeply rooted in a genre all its own, YAKUZA"s existence lies on a metal base with progressive flair, while somehow also incorporating elements of jazz, world beat, and post-rock ambience. Picture (if you can) a mixture of King Crimson, all periods of John Coltrane"s career, Tortoise, and Napalm Death. The end result is captivating, a sound that Rolling Stone, Revolver, Alternative Press, the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Tribune, All That Jazz and countless others all agree is refreshingly original, technically proficient, all the while still staying very metal. With an album that continues the YAKUZA sound while - somehow - also expanding upon the band"s already established enigmatic concepts and forward-thinking approach to metal, Transmutations continues to push the envelope, carving a niche in the metal genre, while still continuing the band"s originality that has garnered so much attention in the underground - metal, mainstream or otherwise.