YAKUZA was formed in 1999. "Sutra" is their seventh full-length album, and will soon be released on Svart's record label. YAKUZA's music is difficult to characterize. They refer to themselves as an avant-garde metal band. Their sound has also been referred to as jazz metal due to their usage of saxophone and clarinet. They are also known for lightning-fast transitions that can take you off guard but pull you right back in afterward. "Sutra" begins with "2is1," and the track starts with a droning clarinet note. Then the guitar and keyboard come into play. It's a great way to introduce their sound. They integrate jazz elements in the same way that the black metal band WHITE WARD does. YAKUZA doesn't like to stay in one place for too long and the music is better for it.

"Echoes From The Sky" begins abruptly with some technical guitar wizardry. Soon thereafter, a nice groovy riff takes over. For every overly technical part, there is an equal and opposite killer riff to assuage any disorientation. I would best describe this track as an amalgamation of CAVE IN, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, and THE OCEAN, with the horns from WHITE WARD. Three of the band's four members provide vocals, adding dimension to every track. My favorite one is "Capricorn Rising." this track has everything from chugging doom metal riffs, a horn intro, and vocals from Lamont, McClellan, and Marshall. This one is an emotional roller coaster. Also, every great riff is followed by another, equally amazing one.  The sixth track, "Burn Before Reading," had me thinking that this album could be AOTY material. The song has an evolving riff for the hook. There's a build-up to an amazing climax followed by a more tranquil clean guitar and horn interlude. It's not easy to transition from such intensity to such mellifluous and few bands can pull that off.

"Walking God" begins with an almost cheerful melody then morphs into a mellow percussive part akin to TOOL's quieter tracks. There isn't a bad or even middling track on "Sutra." My only previous exposure to YAKUZA was hearing their "Samsara" album in 2016. "Sutra" has made me want to check out their back catalog. By the time "Never The Less" had finished, I have made it a personal goal to see them live. "Sutra" will most likely be on my end-of-year list. I had to listen to it again as soon as my first playthrough had ended.