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Russian Circles - Memorial
12:34 Jan 31 2014
Times Read: 710


Russian Circles - Memorial (feat. Chelsea Wolfe)













Band: Russian Circles

Genre: Instrumental/Experimental/Post Rock-Metal

Country: USA

Album: Memorial (2013)



The first and final tracks on post-metal band Russian Circles’ new album show what the band could be it wanted to conform to more conventional expectations for popular music.



The Chicago-based three piece is deliberately without a vocalist and its new album “Memorial” commences with an instrumental. The band reprises the song at the end of the album, but Gothic folk singer Chelsea Wolfe provides a buried melody that gives a taste of what the band would be if it followed a more traditional path.



“Memorial” is a darker affair than 2011’s “Empros” but it is not bleak. Now, the drums are more in focus. Textural guitars work on a scale that suggests mountain landscapes and grey skies. The bass provides both counterpoint and drone, drenched in fuzz.



Russian Circles’ sounds come from guitarist Mike Sullivan, bassist Brian Cook and drummer Dave Turncrantz. On “Memorial,” they augment their sound with strings, piano and electronics.