- 2019 is turning out to be a pretty good year for instrumental post-metal releases, with Pelican’s Nighttime Stories coming out back in June to considerable fanfare and the new Russian Circles album being released today. Entitled Blood Year, the three-piece’s newest LP plays to the band’s strengths rather than radically reinventing their sound.
As with their last album, 2016’s Guidance, Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou oversees production and his approach is, if anything, even more no-frills than last time. Reportedly recorded live in the studio without the aid of click tracks, the album sounds like it was no doubt intended – three blokes smashing out their sludgy post-metal with Herculean force.
In fact, the record’s first couple of tracks even ape the last two records, with a gentle atmospheric intro before the band kicks in with their typical ferocity. In this case, that mellow intro comes in the form of the brief yet satisfying Hunter Moon, before Arluck, the most rhythmically driving track on the album, kicks off the heaviness – the drum intro even has slight echoes of My Sharona, before the band’s usual atmospheric blend of textures and riffs takes the listener into more familiar terrain.
There are slower, heavier moments as well, most distinctly in the tracks Milano and Kohokia. The former kicks off with thundering drums and a snaky guitar phrase, with the rest of the piece being propelled by rumbling bass and passages that are darkly intense and melodic all at once. There’s a more noticeable sparseness to Kohokia, which begins with very simple guitar, minimal unfussy bass and a slow yet solid pace. As with many Russian Circles tunes, the song picks up in volume as it progresses, the three musicians upping the intensity with uncanny intuitiveness.
While some may find their tried-and-true formula evidence of a band that doesn’t evolve with each release, I don’t actually find this to be the case. Blood Year for instance has a warm, analogue feeling as opposed to the chillier soundscapes on past records such as Memorial and Empros. This gives the songs a more emotional punch, jettisoning some of their more monolithic soundscapes in favour of a more embracing “three people in a room” vibe.
- Matt Thrower.