Warthur Released at around the same time as Cult of Luna's Somewhere Along the Highway muddied the line between post-rock and post-metal from the post-metal side of the fence, Russian Circle's debut album sees them doing much the same thing from the post-rock side, with the band incorporating riffs of a crushing heaviness adopted by few post-rock bands (as opposed to post-metal bands) since Mogwai dropped My Father My King on an unsuspecting public. Russian Circles might fall into the same old quiet/loud formula of most post-rock and post-metal, but they prove themselves adept at the quiet and willing to go louder than many of their peers when the composition calls for it.

Pelata Forsaking vocalists, a lot of bands these days are opting to stick to instrumental creativity to construct vivid, emotional sonic tapestries. An entire genre & scene has in turn been constructed. Bands such as Red Sparowes, Pelican, Canvas Solaris, Explosions In The Sky & others have built substantial followings over the last few years by simply defying convention, musical or otherwise.

Enter Russian Circles. Their 2006 release Enter would fall under the ever-broadening definition of what this genre is becoming. The term “Post Rock” is almost becoming too confining. Russian Circles combine jagged ambience with dashes of Prog Metal, creating loud, brash peaks & melancholy, cavernous depths on this 6 track release.

The trick in this genre is to not bore the listener. What with no vocals to latch onto, there is the problem of keeping people’s attention. Russian Circles deliver their music with a great amount of energy & conviction, literally leaving you waiting for what comes next. In the midst of taking in the current movement, you can’t help but wonder where they’ll go from that point. A stellar effort.

Triceratopsoil A wonderful interpretation of post-metal/math rock. I've heard no other bands that do quite the same thing as Russian Circles.

Mike Sullivan's guitar is densely layered through the use of loop pedals, creating the sound of many guitars in a very cool way that he can reproduce live. Colin Dekuiper's bass is thunderously low, adding a lot of power and heaviness to the music. Dave Turncrantz drums are rock solid and steady, keeping a nice groove throughout, and very technical at times.

Overall, catchy-as-hell music with copious amounts of both soothing ambiance and heavy metal riffing. One of the best debut albums in decades.

Negoba A Trip Into Calculated Complexity

Russian Circles was my introduction to post / math rock 3 years ago when they allowed free downloads of their New Macabre and Death Rides a Horse. Those songs were in frequent rotation on my newly acquired iPod, and RC virtually became the definition of Math Rock in my mind. (This is a little odd since they're actually at least as much post-metal as they are Math.) I've since purchased their whole album, Enter, and the entire album certainly lives up to the quality of the promo tracks.

The music is all instrumental, moody and incorporates interweaving lines between clean and variously distorted guitars along with the bass and a great variety of intricate drum lines. The guitars are performed by one artist using a loop pedal, and are reproduced in the same way live. Other famous musicians have used the idea just as extensively (jamboy Keller Williams being one of the most famous) but here the effect contributes to both the emotional build and mild feeling of drone that pulls the music together.

Compared to other math rockers, Russian Circles seem to have come from more of a metal background than an indie one. This is heard in their selection of guitar tones, precision of attack, an appreciation of sludge, and more linear time signatures. Just as much Pelican as Don Caballero, RC actually sit in a unique niche that may be appealing to a wider array of listeners than many of their peers on both sides of the aisle.

As others have noted, this album plays just as well continuously as it does as individual songs. There is simply an ongoing flow of circling crests and lulls, which actually never gets boring. Though the music is often quite busy, it always seems intentional. Very little seems chaotic or free form, though these compositions were almost certainly conceived during improvisational jams. However, I believe that the band also spent an equal amount of time organizing these ideas into formal, dynamic songs.

This album may indeed represent a masterpiece within its own specific genre, but it is not as musically expansive as the symphonic classics or even instrumental masterpieces like Anglagard or Mahavishnu Orchestra. It is certainly excellent and recommended, and seems like a great entry point into the math rock realm for metalheads.