Russian Circles - Nine

Russian Circles are one of the famous acts in post-metal. They have always been at the riffier end of the instrumental rock spectrum. Less dreamier and wistful than their counterparts, they are grittier with clattering, tank-like jams. They have been going for years and Nine is album number…..nine.

If ever there was a misnomer for a song title, then it’s Empath: an indominable iron hulk of a track. Ominous, echoing foghorn-like drones are a precursor to gargantuan chugging riffs that crank and hammer with geological enormity. It’s Russian Circles at their heaviest. And this is not a one-off as Nine can be cataclysmic. The concussive, serrated pummel of Seventh Seal seeps with metallic sludgy dystopia and savage world-eating volume.  While many other doyens of the post-rock / post-metal instrumental genre have tended to mellow with age and lean into the subtler, more delicate aspects of their art, Russian Circles have arguably done broadly the opposite by becoming heavier, if not always in volume then psychologically.

Nine is not, however, a ruthless tirade in post-metal volume; it is a nuanced and balanced work. While the band’s recognisable sound remains unaltered and the album offers little in the way of stylistic divergence, Nine is a mature and purposeful work. And though there is a continuous moody sense of tension and suspense that seeps through the record this does not rely purely on sheer noise and rumble, but a subtle backdrop of melancholy and depth. It’s like dropping a burning planet out of orbit poetically.

Tracks such as Eluvial, the strident canter of Meridian, or the frazzled, electronically enhanced E2 are masterclass displays of creating sublime post-rock gradual builds that perspire with panoramic tension. What strikes you about Nine is how Russian Circles have, over a long career, mastered an art of taking an uncomplicated set of riffs or repetitive refrains and somehow delivering them into gripping cinematic ascents. There are no complex bridges, wending time changes, nor ostentatious prog noodling. Instead, the album takes fairly straight forward structures and metamorphizes them into something altogether more profound. Each track has a sense of purpose and well-honed timing. This is arguably one of Russian Circles best releases out of what is already a glistening legacy.

Here is the bandcamp link: https://russiancircles.bandcamp.com/