![[Yahpet Kotto Euro LP]](../graphics/yk3lp.jpg)
1 Review
Reviewed by Damien Mills
So it's finally out, that record that everyone is talking so much about with the awful title and slightly uniformly 'emo' artwork, the signs weren't so good.
Not being someone who really downloads music I must of been one of the few people not really knowing what to expect, which I've decided is probably for the better. It's certainly not the super slick watered down rock effort that some seem to wish us to believe.
There are 8 tracks listed on the sleeve but infact there are a good ten or so pieces on it. It appears that a few instrumentals don't get their own titles for whatever reason. The album starts with one of these instrumentals, kinda mid paced and fairly similar all the way through and not the huge explosive opening of thier last album which I guess is on purpose. Good for them. The second track is where it starts off more convincingly with the album's title track, something of a slowburner building up nicely with the title being yelled out repeatedly part way through, my favourite track on the record i think. Otherwise the tracks follow a similar theme in a very general sweeping statement by a lazy reviewer kind of way, but you werent expecting any ballads or anything I don't suppose, though there are a few moments that in relative terms at least, might be described as 'slowies'.
The overall sound of the record is still raw enough to be fun, I don't really see how people can say it's over produced or whatever. I think, like most of their stuff, it's about right, not glossy or anything but neither is it the inside-a-lead-lined-washing-machine-with-a-duvet on record sound that many bands in this style might have favoured over the years for 'authenticity' (whatever that might mean). Infact the only thing it lacks as a YK record is some of Mag's sharper high pitch vocals of yore, there are some here and there but it's mostly the grunty Kotto's voice this time around. Not really for better or worse, that would be for you to decide for yourself...
Overall, not their best work but still a great punk rock/emo record, now, about that front cover....
![[Yahpet Kotto Euro EP]](../graphics/ykeuro.jpg)
1 Review
Reviewed by Andy Malcolm
Yeah, I guess this is pretty good. 3 new cuts of Kotto (although all 3 will later be appearing on another release), the vinyl was supposed to be ready in time for their European tour but delays saw it unavailable at the shows I attended. So instead I had to aquire it retroactively. Glad I did.
I definitely recongise the first two tracks on here, which is odd as it is the 3rd one which blows me away the most. "Alive and Dead" and "Tracing" have a little more of a straightforward feel, relying on a headrush of the dual guitar, scream-sing approach that Yaphet have relied on so adeptly over their course so far. It does feel more basic and more hardcore on these 2 tracks - almost sloppier, getting back to the sheer smash and grab energy of the first 7". A minor change of sound is a good thing for a hardcore band. You can't make the same songs over and over. "Alive and Dead" has a really stylish intro that builds up in familiar Yaphet vein, melodic guitars that wash over each other before everything hits the wall and explodes. New member Austin adds some extra harsh screamed vocals to the mix and they contrast brilliantly with Mag's plaintive singing style on the second song. It's a belter. Yet as I mentioned before, the final song "Momentary Loss of Breath" captures best the passion and emotions that I find this band exhudes more than any other band in the genre. The guitar sound is spot on, defiantly melodic yet lost in a sea of pained screaming, blistering drumming and spilled blood. The groove they capture sends me into wild hand claps and closed eyes as they destroy. It is emo perfection.
Truly incredible, Yaphet Kotto.
![[Yahpet Kotto EP]](../graphics/ykep.jpg)
2 Reviews
Two brand new songs from this wondrous Northern Californian emotive hardcore band. Do you really need to know more? Melodic, powerful, and emotive greatness.
Collective
Reviewed by Andy Malcolm
The two Yaphet shows I saw back in May were 2 of the best shows I have ever been at. Ever. I don't think I had ever experienced losing myself at a gig so much, being caught up in the show and engulfed by the power and groove that they conjured up, my body was taken over by the music, an incredible experience. Yaphet played the two songs on this record, at the time they sounded good but didn't have the impact of the other songs simply because I was unfamiliar with them. But now I get to hear them on record, I recognise them completely, and they ooze with the exact unknown quantity that makes this band so special. The music is slightly more rough than their excellent second album, harking back more to the messier days of "The Killer Was In The Government Blankets" - I think I do prefer this element to their music, it makes it a little more raw, with Mag's vocals lower in the mix than on the last LP, and I love the less than perfect sound of the recording. "Unusual Suspect" is a typical YK cruncher, it builds and burns with Casey's powerful screams and Mag's trademark high-pitched vocals working in tandem, the music loud and emphatic with occasional breakdowns into twinkle parts. The bass and drums pull the song together and provide the body shaking groove which steals my soul. "According to History" is faster and thunders a long at times, with melodic guitars twisting and turning. Things drop out into a beautiful and sombre middle part, before coming together to rumble to a stormy finish at a slower pace.
Well, if you've heard YK this 7" is nothing unexpected. It follows on from their other stuff, and it is heart-stoppingly brilliant. I guess the only surprise about this record is that it is not in silver and black packaging.
![[Yahpet Kotto LP]](../graphics/ykottolp2.jpg)
3 Reviews
As far as hardcore bands go, you don't get any better than Yaphet Kotto, in my opinion. Their first album, The Killer Was in the Government Blankets, should be required listening for any fan of driving, powerful, emotive hardcore, and Syncopated Synthetic Laments for Love picks up perfectly where its predecessor left off. The band, formed in the Bay Area of California in 1996, plays incredibly tight, driving hardcore and sings their lungs out about their political and social ideals, the way hardcore was meant to be played.
Two vocalists mix perfectly, shouting/screaming their vocals in a way that's still decipherable, something many hardcore bands don't do. One singer has a high pitch, the other low, and they mix throughout. The double-guitar attack is powerful and driving, the rhythm fantastic and tight. But what makes Yaphet Kotto best is their breakdowns and their incorporation of melodic moments. Their songs slip into quieter, moody interludes of guitar and bass and occasional vocal samples, before exploding again into sound that's all the more intense after the quiet.
The opener, "Circumstantial Evidence," kicks off after a squeal of feedback, breaking immediately into the powerful rock, with those high-pitched shouted vocals ripping over driving guitar and a perfect rhythm. By the end, the song breaks down into a low, bass-filled moment, and then explodes again. Other songs are just straight-ahead power-rockers, with "Status Symbol" and "Fact Nor Fiction" just all-out hardcore rock, kept cohesive and tight with the band's amazing rhythm section. "Inquire Within" gets about as fast and angry as any Yaphet Kotto song I've heard, but it also quiets down, with sung vocals over a slowly booming drum beat and feedback-laden guitars. The best sort of old-school emo sound comes in on the moody "The Weight of Remorse," with great spoken word vocals over bass-intensive rock, and after another fast part, it breaks down again, proving this one of the most intense and stellar songs the band has recorded. The guitar here is just brilliant. "Fact Nor Fiction" shows the band mixing in angry recordings over moody music as used on their first album.
The second side of this release is pure genius, and it gets a bit more personal in nature as opposed to political. There's no less the intensity, however, as the title track kicks it off with blistering guitars and those fantastic shouted vocals, then breaking down into a quiet, pretty moment, that explodes into intensity again. Bits of religious sentiment come in with vocaled samples behind driving rock on "Highly Enlightened," as a sarcastic dichotomy perhaps. Again there's a stellar breakdown to end "Blind Leading the Blind," and then the more punkish and driving "Of Epic Proportions" kicks in with a fury. There's some incredible, almost groovy rhythm here, done so fast and powerful you've got to listen close. And the whole album closes with an incredible instrumental that's slower, more melodic, and more moody.
The band includes their lyrics, which closely shows their political bent. In "Circumstantial Evidence," they sing, "and I'm troubled by the question who'll kill man / needless to say from our action answers have been made clear / what's the protocol with my pride in the struggle / I pose a threat against the ruling class in the interest of whom are many lives lost / in the interest of whom take part in your war / fuck you no thanks I won't fight."
Incredible stuff: powerful, political, and impeccably tight hardcore. This is what it's all about. I can't listen to this album without being continually amazed by this band. Pick of the week? More than that, this will be an album of the year. Currently, this and the band's first album are only available on vinyl, but CD versions of both are expected on Ebullition shortly.
STNT
Reviewed by Greg
Deuxième album pour les californiens. Premier constat: c'est dans la veine du précédent effort. Second constat: c'est toujours aussi bon! Yaphet Kotto joue une musique qui prend tout son sens sur un label comme Ebullition. En effet, Yaphet Kotto, les chansons, le discours, sont une sorte de gros résumé de tout ce qui a pu sortir ces dernières années sur l'excellent label de Goleta. Yaphet Kotto plonge son inspiration dans des groupes comme Navio Forge, Fuel, Portrait of Past, Spitboy, Manrae, Amber Inn, Iconoclast...que du bon quoi!!!. Je pense aussi à la scène DIY du milieu des années 90 avec des groupes comme Merel, Introspect, Shotmaker....Bien avant que l'émo core devienne une mode à deux balles. Les compositions de Yaphet Kotto sont contruites sur une énergie rageuse mais réfléchie. Du corps et de l'esprit quoi!. Les mélodies tracent la route. Le coup des deux voix qui se répondent chantées-criées, est un classique du genre mais ça fait toujours son effet. Yaphet Kotto utilise certains clichés du genre pour servir les chansons et non pas pour suivre un code de bonne conduite. J'aurai bien aimé une prise de risques plus importante. Mais le quatuor est inspiré et je n'en demande pas plus en fin de compte. Du bon boulot!
Coldbringer #2
Reviewed by Andy Kindon
Okay, I'll be honest here...I thought the first Yaphet Kotto record on Ebullition was absolutely amazing - quite possibly one of the best hardcore records of the last five years, maybe more. So I've been looking forward to the release of this new LP for months. It finally came in the mail yesterday and I am listening to it for the very first time right now, which pretty much breaks every record reviewing rule in the book. I usually try to listen to a record at least 2 or 3 times before reviewing it. But I just couldn't help myself...Like Fugazi, Yaphet Kotto play an innovative, exciting permutation of 'hardcore punk' that is simultaneously both highly intelligent and intricate and powerfully immediate. The music is made up of a solid core of bass and drums over which dual guitars interweave intricate lines of melody and noise. Also like Fugazi, two singers with very distinct and different vocals trade off lyrics throughout the songs adding yet more layers to the already densely textured music. Syncopated Synthetic Laments sounds very, very much like the previous Yaphet Kotto LP The Killer Was in the Government Blankets, although the recording is a lot cleaner. The better recording quality is a major benefit, since on this new LP you can actually hear the vocals, which at times was a real strain on the first LP. The band has gotten a little bit screamier, I think, but at the same time the high-pitched singing has gotten even more melodic and solid, and the vocal chores are more evenly shared between the two singers. Their lyrics, as usual, are somewhat opaque, very introspective, and really well-written...the kind of lyrics that don't necessarily have an obvious meaning when reading them, but you know just what they mean. Side 1 of the LP ends with a spoken word and musical backdrop piece about institutionalized/legal racism in California, which just serves to underscore the band's constant dynamic between the personal and the political. The new record comes in a great gatefold sleeve that is also very similar the The Killer..., with all the lyrics and info on the inside. If you haven't heard this band yet, check out either of the albums. Both are incredible.
![[Yahpet Kotto/Suicide Nation]](../graphics/yksn.jpg)
5 Reviews
YAPHET KOTTO / SUICIDE NATION 7"
Burn-Out
Webzine
Ça sent le sapin pour les 2 groupes. En clair, ce split ressemble
fort à un testament collectif. YAPHET KOTTO emmanche un morceau très
émo comme d'hab, avec une ligne de gratte qui rappelle REPUBLIC OF
FREEDOM FIGHTERS. Texte pas imprimé. SUICIDE NATION envoie une
dernière salve ô combien stupéfiante. Un très
long grind pour commencer, à sec, qui débouche sur du speed
métal torturé et franchement réjouissant ! 4 minutes
de bonheur.
Raised By Comic Books [03.01]
Yay. Yaphet Kotto kick out the jams again. My only problem is that there's
only one song by them. Oh well. It might be my favorite song they've ever
written. Suicide Nation are a little bit heavier than Yaphet Kotto. They
kinda sound like Acrid. It's pretty good, even though i'm not that into metal.
Acoustic parts, which is interesting. This is the best seven inch i've gotten
in a while.
Collective [11.00] - Rating 8.5/10
Reviewed by Andy Malcolm
Goodness! Who would have thought it. Council Records arises from it’s
deep slumber, and puts out a stunning split 7” to blow away the cobwebs.
So what if it looks like some kind of crust 7” with it’s black
and white cover of people wearing gas masks? It’s Council Records everybody!
And they is back.
Yaphet Kotto and Council is a match made in heaven. Council having released
some of the best emo of the 90’s, they may as well put out some of the
best of the new millenia too. Yaphet have been on hiatus too, though for
only a year. And this crunchy emo-groover pretty much picks up the thread
from where they left off, it certainly would have slotted quite nicely on
their awesome LP anyway. Lots of racing, thumping guitar, led by dynamic
drumming and the vague melodic thread that they run throughout all their
music. Vocals are way down in the mix but tend to be on the screamy side.
Has the obligatory mellowed out eerie emo part where everything chills out
for a while before getting hectic again. Jolly good show boys, emo in the
vein of Embassy, Spirit Assembly and Torches to Rome. That ought to get you
interested.
Suicide Nation are fucked up. No two ways about it. Pile driving, out of
control, emo-thrash. The vocalist pukes the words all over your turntable
whilst the band play faster than light. BLURRRRRRRRRRGH! How they play this
fast is beyond my feeble comprehension, and I am unable to make a decent
comparison as nothing I have ever heard sounds quite like this. Rather
intriguingly they have an acoustic break and a part where they actually play
at a speed that doesn’t resemble that of a space rocket. The vocalist
guy even says some words that can be made out at this point too. Usurp Synapse
meets Assfactor4 at their most crazed? That’s about as close as I can
get. Sorry.
So send your $$$ to Matthias Weeks. You won’t regret it.
Delusions of Adequacy [10.00]
Reviewed by Jeff
This single serves as a long awaited new song from Yaphet Kotto, one of my
very favorite hardcore bands for their ability to convey so much emotion
and so much power yet break down into moments of sheer beauty and intensity.
It's a teaser for their new full-length, due out before the end of the year
on Ebullition. And they split the vinyl with Suicide Nation, a band I wasn't
familiar with.
Yaphet Kotto contributes "Critical Response," which has a very dark and thickly
textured sound with an emphasis on the guitars. The guitars are mixed far
to the front and rock very hard, very tight, textured riffs. The vocals are
screamed and fairly incoherent but quite emphatic. The best thing about Yaphet
Kotto is the dark texture they're able to create. That sound from their last
full length is continued here, with driving, powerful guitars that don't
go for the all-out speed of many hardcore bands. The powerful drumming and
thick bass help with that sound as well. Ooo, and the lyrics help too: "With
every breath we will defy we will defy all you have created." And the song
ends with a slower, more melodic yet bass-heavy section, something the band
did so wonderfully on their last full length. And it builds back into chaotic,
full-out power so perfectly. This is why I love Yaphet Kotto so much, for
their ability to go from all-out rock and screaming to quieter and more
contemplative.
Suicide Nation's "Collapse and Die" is a bit more on the chaotic, angry and
evil side of the hardcore spectrum. From the beginning, you get a full-bore
driving song, the drums wailing away like gunfire, the guitars screaming
and wailing, the vocals coming out as a strangled growl more than a typical
scream. There are some great moments here, the more I listen to it. For one,
the guitars have a very high pitch, and in between vocals, you can hear how
talented the guitarist is, ripping off chords with lightning speed. And there
are times when two people are screaming at once for an effect that works
very well for this band. Oh, and by the end, when acoustic guitar comes in
so sweet and the vocals begin to scream over top. At that exact moment, Suicide
Nation won me over. The lyrics are nice too: "These mouths remain so hungry,
while the others continue the feast. How long must we suffer in our own misery?"
At that moment, over the acoustic guitar before it gets all crazy again,
I'm reminded of some of the real emo-core bands that I've come to appreciate
so much.
So, two quick songs of fast and powerful hardcore. Yaphet Kotto have renewed
my faith in them, continuing to play some powerful and amazingly thick and
talented hardcore with moments of slower and more melodic beauty. I love
this band, and I was pleased to find a stellar track from Suicide Nation.
The best thing about the B-side was the pretty acoustic guitar. So a surprise
and a nice teaser for the upcoming Yaphet Kotto full-length, definitely worth
picking up.
Heartattack #28
Reviewed by Kent McClard
Yes, Yaphet Kotto and Suicide Nation together on one record. Who would have
thought it! More great emotive hardcore from Yaphet Kotto, powerful and catchy,
yet much uglier sounding then the material on their 12". Suicide Nation are
still playing a million miles an hour thrash metal. Fast and M-E-A-N! What
a crazy combo for a split 7"!
![[Yahpet Kotto LP]](../graphics/ykottolp.jpg)
4 Reviews
Reviewed by David Smith
OK, I know I've said that emo is dead, but this record is living proof that at least somewhere some kids are getting it right. This record is perfectly at home with real emo bands like Policy of 3 and Current, no question. From start to finsh this thing is a wash of screaming, intense, hc/emo. I'd like to think this band sounds like Boy Sets Fire without all the cheesy metal crap that they throw in. They have a few singers here, and one has a pretty clean voice while the others tend to scream over him. Unlike the aforementioned Boy Sets Fire, the clean sounding guy's voice is not Jon Secada-esque. And unlike Boy Sets Fire who seem to think that metal=hardcore, Yaphet Kotto doesn't wank out when they rock out. They do it straight up, no cheese, just driving, frenzied hardcore. This is some really great stuff from one of the best indie labels in the country. Now if they'd just get off thier asses and release the Bread and Circuits LP like they've been planning on. the world can have two emo bands to pick from.
www.xadamx.com
Reviewed by Joey
Holy shit!!!! This is quite possibly one of the best bands in the independent music scene. Wow is all I have to say about this record. I saw Yaphet Kotto at a house show with Milemarker, Volume 11, and Waxwing. After seeing them I picked up their record immedietely. Yaphet Kotto plays hardcore you'd expect from the label that brought you Portraits of Past, Bread and Circuits, and Torches to Rome. Yaphet Kotto is kinda in the Fugazi-ish tip of hardcore with a Saetia slant to it. What blew me away instantly with the band and this record was their ability to mix impassioned screaming with one of the most beautiful singing i've heard in quite sometime. The lyrics and layout are top notch. All the instruments flow so well that it's just insane that music like this can be created. This record is all I've been listening to lately. It's a MUST have. This record goes beyond rating.
Ultra-Kustom
Reviewed by Soil
Based in Santa Cruz, Yaphet Kotto, remind me a lot of early Unwound, only there seems to be more of an edge here. This is their first release; a mighty one at that. Emo/ heavy indie pop /hard core being the basic ground rules here. Vocals trade off throughout. Sounds and vocals ranging from rage to despair in the same song (visually, the grooves tell the story). I'm not sure of the origin of their name, but Yaphet Kotto is a character actor that you'd recognize in an instant if you saw him. He played the heavy in Live and Let Die - known as Mr. Big. So, maybe the connection is Yaphet Kotto's big sound. Ahh, hell. What do I know? Other than, this is a good record that you should pay some mind to.
Opiate
Reviewed by Ralf
I had such high expectations of this one, that I was already convinced it could only end up in a dissapointment. You see, Ebullition advertised this record as follows:"...if this band had existed four years ago they would have been playing with Policy of 3, Iconoclast and Current", and I was just sure no band could ever live up to a comparision to these 3 great and legendary bands. I was wrong though , of course I was. This record is simply great and the comparison is very much in place. Yaphet Koto does indeed sound like a mix between the before mentioned bands and has that early 90's emo feel I miss so much lately. It mixes the intensity of the more screamo orientated bands with the melody and actual singing of the likes of Policy of 3. This has the word 'emotion' written all over it and should be tracked down by anyone into the real emo-genre (- and not the commercial college rock they call emo these days-). Easily one of the best records released this year!!!!
Diet Society #10
After this band's 7", I was worried that this might stink. Not that the single was bad or anything, just that sometimes a band can put out a good 7" and not be able to sustain the drive or quality throughout an LP. This is not one of those bands. Combing the emo genre for innovative bits and pieces,but cranking it up to the hardcore level. Thoughtful lyrics, solid packaging, another winner from Ebullition. Shut up and go purchase this in mass quantites.
![[Yahpet Kotto EP]](../graphics/ykotto7.jpg)
1 Review
Reviewed by Andy Malcolm
#13 of 200? I feel priviledged.
Hey, what's up with the sound quality? Sounds like a demo that has been recorded onto vinyl. Fortunately, Yaphet Kotto exhibit no other qualities of being a demo-level band.
For starters, they give away a free sticker of a bull with their record. Wait a second! That's not the reason this record is great. The real reason is that they have a photo of the band playing, and the guy in the foreground attacking his guitar has arms like tree trunks, real meaty sideburns and he just plain rocks. Hang on, that's still not the reason. I'll come to the reason now.
Yaphet Kotto play melodic emo hardcore which has all the best influences. And I mean ALL of them. On opening song, "The Killer Was In Government Blankets" - one minute they have a full on crying singer getting desperate over the driving hardcore, and then it all mellows out and gets distant and post-hardcore. And I'm like going - it's a fucking cross between Indian Summer and Torches to Rome and a whole bunch of those old cool emo bands on one of those records I got recently but I can't think which ones right now. Yaphet are from Cali by the way, hence. their sound. They do more of this fretful crying and intricate hardcore on all the other songs too. "Crane Lifting Crane" gets all fast and pile driving and mind blowing. Screw your eyes up tight and shake involuntarily to it. Finally, "Car Part Three" gets grooving and herky-jerky with a non-crying singer, um, Antioch Arrow is sort of my suggestion on this one but not too much, ok? Did I mention the bull sticker?
I've now spotted the incredible picture in the packaging of hundreds of kids sitting in a huge exam hall. Now that brings back memories. The lyrics don't make much sense to me, but from the look of the insert they are furiously anti shit stuff, like racism and homophobia, as any sane person is, but it's always nice to see it written down. They also say "Yaphet Kotto is part of no scene. Enjoy music for what it is, not who it is" which is the perfect sentiment. Although if I am to abide by that, I have to invent a new genre to pigeonhole them in for the purpose of review, and that will have to be: "Yaphet Kotto". And I guess that's not so useful unless you heard them already.
If it wasn't for the demo quality of this recording, I would threaten to kill you all if you didn't own it, and seeing as they made 200 of these and Collective doesn't have that many readers, it wouldn't have been an unreasonable request. Look, get the album instead, it's on Ebullition so it'll rock, and I will be getting it as soon as I can. Quite possibly this is the best band that no-one other than HeartattaCk zine is telling you about yet as far as I can make out. Also, you get a free sticker of a bull with this record.