Since forming in 1999, members James Staffel, Eric Plonka, Bruce Lamont and Eric Clark have embraced the essence of the music made by some of modern music's most progressive minds - from the exceptional creativity of jazz (Sun Ra, "60s-era Miles Davis and John Coltrane), to the devastating power of metal/hardcore (Napalm Death, Neurosis, Deadguy and Meshuggah), to the catchy-yet-forward-thinking songwriting of early ‘90s alt-rock (Faith No More, Tool, Jesus Lizard and Jane's Addiction), to the atmospheric qualities of post-rock (Tortoise, Radiohead).

Way Of The dead (European Street Date: January 27th, 2003) is the beginning of what Yakuza is/was and will be, including all of the aforementioned elements - from the eastern-flavored "Vergasso”, to the polyrhythmic rage of “TMS”, to the metal/free-jazz hybrid "Obscurity" (which features a saxophone duel to the death between Lamont and Chicago jazz mainstay Ken Vandermark), to the cerebral "01100011101", a 40+ minute instrumental.

Recorded by Dale Meiners at Ghetto Love Studios in Chicago and mastered by Alan Douches (Dillinger Escape Plan, Deadguy, Burnt By The Sun) at West West Side Studio in New Jersey, Way Of The dead is the band's second album and follows on the heels of their critically acclaimed self-released debut, Amount To Nothing (2000). Upon hearing Amount To Nothing, the Chicago Sun Times proclaimed: “Given half the chance, this band could rule the alt-rock universe - and elevate its standards considerably.” Terrorizer magazine observes: “When Yakuza hit their mark they come off as a jazz inflected mixture of early ‘90s experimental thrash (Bastro seems to be a major influence) and post-Helmet groove metal.”

Yakuza's 2002 live highlights in North America include a string of dates with Candiria and Burnt By The Sun, dates on the Vans Warped Tour and a performance at Century Media's showcase at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, TX. The Free Cinema film company documented the band's performance (live footage and band interviews) at South By Southwest and will release the footage shortly.

The quartet have also contributed a cover of John Coltrane's “Seraphic Light” (taken from one of Coltrane's later, more “free” sounding records, Stellar Regions) to Trane Into Extremes (Exile On Mainstream Records), a compilation of Coltrane covers that also features Clutch, Candiria, Sigh, Masters Of Reality and more. Yakuza are poised to inject rock with a healthy dose of originality - a sonic exploration of loud music that's as likely to stimulate the brain as the blood.