By Geoff Topley
Russian Circles, from Chicago, are one of the finest exponents of instrumental metal and their new album Memorial is going to blow away a ravenous and ever expanding fan base. It’s not hard to see why because across the 8 tracks on this, their fifth album, there’s a superb mix of crushingly heavy guitars and brilliant melodies. The depth of light and shade perfectly balanced and paced to deliver a stunning album. I know I keep repeating the mantra, but Sargent House keep delivering the most amazing music.
Previous albums from Russian Circles have shown that with every release, there’s been great improvement and progress in their sound. They’ve been teasing us with Memorial by releasing random tracks since the summer. The buzz has been feverish, how could it be anything else after the ultra-heavy ‘Deficit’ crushed skulls with its onslaught of intensity. Then there’s the collaboration with fellow Sargent Houser Chelsea Wolfe, who adds her amazing vocals to the album’s title track. They’re touring new albums together, which means Chelsea performs the song in person every night, if you can get to a show, do it.
Book ending the album is the introspective ‘Memoriam’ and ‘Memorial’, the former serving as a low-key intro with plucked guitars, the early indication of the wondrous melodies the album conjures up. This is a definite calm before the almighty shitstorm that ensues. ‘Deficit’ jumps straight into an intense barrage of huge guitars and stomping beats. Mike Sullivan’s guitar line is disturbing and menacing and once heard, will reverberate around your head, ably driven home by the sheer heavy bludgeoning from drummer Dave Turncrantz. Bassist Brian Cook is one of those players who underpins the whole sound, unfussy and brilliantly laid down, like well fitted concrete slabs. The track isn’t all about causing destruction though and it shifts through many soundscapes, almost telling a story with its passages. Russian Circles excel at this, whilst the music is intricate, it manages to avoid the trappings of lunatic time signatures and fiddly fret wanking that some bands inflict upon us.
Before you get the chance to recover, ‘1777’ comes along to amaze and confound. Built around a similar chord pattern to the Twin Peaks theme, this seven minute epic pulls you in and envelopes you with an apocalyptic widescreen vision. This track is almost song-like in structure with passages that act as verse and chorus. There are two massive crescendos, where the main tune kicks in, the second of which comes after a flurry of drums and is absolutely staggering in release. When it gets heavy, there’s a tight unison where every band member appears lost in the swing of the groove.
‘Cheyenne’ is a haunting passage of searing guitars over melancholic plucked notes. If there’s a story being told by this track the ending is tragic as feint machine gun bursts fire off in the distance. Throughout the album, you get the feeling that each track has a background as to why it sounds the way it does. The over-riding theme is one of bleakness and possible destruction, but there are many moments where rays of light manage to break through the darkness.
The most venomous track is ‘Burial’, the drums on this brutal stomp sound like they have been battered with clubs as opposed to sticks. Full of metallic riffs, the sky scraping melodies of some of the other tunes dissipate to the blood and thunder attack.
Throughout Memorial, the tracks flow seamlessly, there isn’t an apparent distinction between the heaviness of ‘Burial’ and the tranquillity of ‘Ethel’. This is a chance to let your heartbeat return to normal only Dave Turncrantz is determined to keep the blood pumping with some crushing beats. The track starts with quiet keyboards and what sounds like traditional hymn ‘Amazing Grace’, searing guitars usher in a beautiful melody before the main cyclical riff enters. When the melodies are this good you just don’t notice the lack of vocals.
‘Lebaron’ is another forceful track, built on a sturdy backbone of furious riffs and a powerful bass groove. This is the most mathematical of the tracks and every precise thud of the kick drum shakes your body. Sinister guitar tones chime like a demented metallic alarm clock over the heaviest section of the track, before jumping into an almost funky groove at the track’s climactic conclusion.
So to the album closer, the aforementioned highly anticipated collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe. ‘Memorial’ could easily have been lifted from a Wolfe album. Plucked guitar notes combine with the melancholy hum of keyboards, Chelsea’s haunting breathy vocals shimmering above the instrumental ether. It’s a beautiful song and brings to a close what has been an amazing album. Let your CD loop back to the beginning and the recognisable notes of ‘Memoriam’ will grace your headspace, you’re going to want to listen through again.
Russian Circles really have excelled themselves with this album, every note and melody is carefully positioned so that you never lose interest in the music. The tracks are all just the right length and seamlessly placed together to create an (intense)ly enjoyable album that is going to be held up for years to come as one of instrumental rock’s greats. Memorial is a fitting title for the album as once heard, it’ll never be forgotten.
