By: Staff
The War Yaks bringĀ "Bifurcate," and its Broadway-rock performance is an absolute show-stopper. The War Yaks, from Delran, NJ, is a female-led project that brings the main songwriting, production, and vocals. We instantly loved their music's big sound and powerful message when we discovered them.
Diving right in with "Codriver," we loved the soft pianos swarming our ears in over-ear headphones; it was very beautiful. The supporting arrangement with horns and light drums pulled off a tremendous jazz essence. When the vocals entered the song, it was as if we were being pulled around by the nose, floating in a virtual avatar world, and we just wanted to catch the beauty of this song. This song belongs as the opening number of a Broadway play. When the guitars kicked in, we fell absolutely in love.
"The Lengths" is harrowing and hypnotizing with an intensity reminiscent of Pink Floyd's "The Wall." Again, the jazz undertones are unmistakable, with powerful vocals that astound. The horns are slightly elevated, which was a total win for us.
"Shroom Song" has a childlike lullaby opening that is torn open by the
the sheer power of Natalie's once again impressive vocal delivery. You can't predict the direction or moment in any song, which makes this all the more interesting. When the guitars and horns team up to "battle" with Natalie's vocals, we sit back and absorb the sheer controlled madness that makes this song so brilliant. As softly as it enters, it slowly leaves and then picks up again.
"Quiet Omens" is a horror track that creepily runs around the edges of the musical soundscape and then blasts into your earspace with rises and drops that delight the listener.
"Footprints" was a favorite of this heavy metal-loving, guitar-loving bunch. Bringing a blend of early Chicago meets early Iron Maiden, this song (think "25 or 6 to 4" meets "The Ancient Mariner") with power vocals that soar like Dickinson creates one of the fiercest and most unique female-fronted bands ever to cross our speakers. Drop to pianos like Billy Joel, and you have a performance that cannot be rivaled. This is absolute orchestra-level beauty.
"Bifurcate" swirls, tingles, explodes, and has no parallel to compare. It has no "sounds like"; it has no comparison, and this whole album is a tremendous work of art.
Available on all major platforms, The War Yaks and "Bifurcate" are a must-listen. When you do, you will undoubtedly play and share this magnificent creation.
Quote from the team of The War Yaks:
"Featuring Natalie Rusciani as the main songwriter, producer, and vocalist, co-writer Anthony Warga on saxophone, Esteban Mercado on guitar, Jesse Shaw on bass, and Kristina Bacich on flute, Bifurcate delivers something for nearly any palate, from anime-inspired balladeering (Codriver) to psychedelic jazz (Shroom Song) and growling, guttural prog metal (Bifurcate)."
Check out this latest release and listen to more of The War Yaks on Spotify & YouTube.
Comments