Russian Circles album Empros gets an 8/10 review and there is a feature interview in the December 2011 Issue #86 of Decibel Magazine. Pick up a copy this month on news stands or online. (click photo to enlarge)
Empros is the album Russian Circles have been striving to concoct since the band’s inception seven years ago. On the three previous releases, the instrumental, post-rock juggernauts honed their craft of incrementally building, charismatic, Kraken-summoning riffs from start to finish. But with this fourth release, the Chicago-originated power trio used the right amount of ingredients from its past three recipes to achieve Iron Chef status with Empros. The six-song album intricately blends fat, grisly, discordant riffage with melodic, atmospheric, proggy sprinklings to create a sonically elaborate and raw package.
The opening track “309” goes from 0 to 60 mph on a dime, thanks to drummer Dave Turncrantz’s abrasively musical beats and bassist Brian Cook’s burly bass progressions. The rhythm section takes the clear lead on the track’s first few minutes with fill-in ambient noise-rock runs from guitarist Mike Sullivan. About five minutes into the trek, Sullivan reclaims the lead with a savvy combination of Meshuggah-esque riffing. “Mladek” opens with chimey, delayed arpeggios—à la the Edge—that slowly build. When the song reaches ramming speed, it becomes a musical warfare between all three members— Turncrantz’s expanding drum pattern, Cook’s trembling bass lines and Sullivan’s soaring single notes and eventual pulverizing, palm-muting attack. The effortless ways of “Schipol” and “Atackla” both organically rise by delicately adding a piece to the microcosm of Empros. The rhythmic layering of bass and guitar parts are like Jenga pieces—feats of excruciating genius—assuring that Russian Circles will never need a vocalist.
Russian Circles and producer Brandon Curtis strived to make a record embodying the band’s sweltering live performances, and with Empros they succeed by delivering their most dynamically compelling and aggressively brooding batch to date. Each song possesses a clear, distinct evolutionary arc within itself, but every song complements the next, resulting in a cohesively intense rock journey best enjoyed front to back. —Chris Kies
Must-Hear Tracks: “Mladek” and “Schipol”
Vibe: Instrumental, progressive metal
Bio: The Chicago/Seattle -based trio is made up of Mike Sullivan on guitar, Brian Cook on bass, and Dave Turncrantz on drums. They came out with their debut album, Enter, in 2006, followed by their second and third albums, Station (2008) and Geneva (2009). Since then the band has worked with producer Brandon Curtis (The Secret Machines and Interpol) for both Geneva and Empros (2011). Watch a video of Russian Circles performing the single "Geneva" from their previous album below!
Gear: Sullivan plays Les Paul Custom through a Verellen Meatsmoke. Read more about his gear and essential stompboxes below in "Five Questions with Russian Circles' Mike Sullivan."
Latest Projects: Empros came out in the U.S. on Oct. 25. They recently started their North American tour in support of the album. Check out their tour stops and dates here.
Five Questions with Russian Circles' Mike Sullivan
1. Empros came out on Oct. 25, and it was called your "heaviest album to date." Tell me how you guys put this one together and what was different from your previous three albums.
We learned from past mistakes of all the records—what we did well, what we could have done stronger and with a little more conviction, and played with more confidence. Plus, cut some of the excess. And in the process of that, we realized that there was a little heavier approach to it. It became a little more expressive for us is what we're trying to say. It's what we wanted to do. It felt more comfortable. But it wasn't a conscious switch like, "Oh we gotta write something heavier." It was just that all of our writing kind of gravitated toward heavier stuff.
I think the big difference was having more time recording. We broke the recording sessions up into two week intervals. So after our first break, we had some time to go back in there, change the stuff we didn't like or if something was missing something. We could add a little bit here and there. It's funny to watch things change, especially with guitar. I'll have a new approach and it'll end up giving the song a fresh breath of air. It wasn't the most pristine studio, but I'll take time and comfort over rushing through a several day recording session.
2. As an instrumental group, what is your writing process like? Do you get together and jam, or do you each come in with ideas?
Typically, I'll have a few riffs. A few ideas that can go in any direction. So usually Dave and I will get together. We'll kind of mess around for awhile, see what's working and see what can be tossed. And if something kind of catches in the air, and we're kind of jamming on it, we'll start recording. Once that feels comfortable and more hashed out, we'll send that to Brian. We're in Chicago, and he's in Seattle. So we set up the whole foundation of the song, then it goes through Brian's filter. And I kind of rework it once his bass is in the mix, because it changes the sonic frequencies and what's happening. So I may omit some guitar parts, or add higher parts, or reinforce the bass.
3. You've just started your tour in support of Empros. What gear do you have on the road with you?
As far as amps, I'm playing a Verellen Meatsmoke through an Emperor 4x12 and a 2x12. And I think it's the best amp in the world. [Laughs.] It's the loudest thing ever with a ton of headroom. The Verellen is a bass amp, or it can be a guitar amp. It's 300 watts. And I have a Sunn Model T Reissue with another Emperor 4x12. For guitars, I have two Les Paul Custom '57 Reissues.
I'm a big fan of the Fulltone Plimsoul and OCD pedals. They really work well together. I've always used a Memory Man Delay for a dark, warm analog delay. I've recently become a fan, both Brian and I, of using Malekko effect pedals. They're really cool, small pedals that are spatially-friendly on the pedalboard, and they sound great. Nothing too crazy. A little wah pedal action here and there, which is dangerous and fun for me. And those are the meat and potatoes right there.
4. Are there any differences between what gear you brought on the road, and what you used in the studio?
Not too much actually. In the studio, we have more to choose from. But I actually end up bringing out a lot of those pedals with us. Like a chorus, a phaser, and wah pedal. I used the Z. Vex Fuzz Factory a lot too. It makes it sound really gnarly with other distortion pedals. But most of the stuff we used on the record, we were able to bring on the road with us. Basically, there's no studio magic that can't be pulled off as far as crazy effects.
5. I read somewhere that you put a bridge pickup in the neck position of one of your Les Pauls for a brighter sound. Do you have any other tricks or tips with guitars, amps, or effects for fellow guitarists?
Just go with whatever sounds good, you know. Every amp responds differently to different cabinets, to different speakers, to different pickups, to different distortion pedals. It's really subjective, so it's up to each person. I try to avoid muddiness at all costs. So if I can eliminate any kind of loss of clarity, I'll start tinkering with stuff.
It's more up to the person. Don't be afraid to mess with stuff, tweak stuff, or put stuff where it doesn't belong. There's no wrong way to do stuff. A lot of people think the pedal chain has to be a certain way and that there are rules. There are no rules. You can do whatever you want. If it sounds good, that's great.
I don't think there's anything tricky. It's all just the sound in your head and chasing that down. It's important to know what you're looking for instead of wandering around trying different options for the hell of it. If you've got an idea, you know, trial and error, trial and error. I'm still figuring it out [Laughs.] I'm sure five months from now, I'll still be swapping out stuff.
Written by Voodoo Squid
Russian Circles will be headlining a tour across North America this fall in support of their upcoming album, Empros their fourth full-length that will be released on October 25 via Sargent House. Supporting the band on the road for the majority of shows will be Deafheaven. Always check with Venues directly for full lineups and door times.
RUSSIAN CIRCLES LIVE
11/02 Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds #
11/03 Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves #
11/04 Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest – Auditorium Shores
11/05 Austin, TX @ Red 7 – Fun Fun Fun Fest Nights w/ Boris , Tera Melos & #
11/07 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack's #
11/08 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl #
11/09 Newport, KY @Southgate House $#
11/10 Columbus, OH @Ravari Room $#
11/11 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick $#
11/12 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace # !
11/13 Buffalo, NY @ Soundlab # !
11/14 New York, NY@ Bowery Ballroom # %
11/15 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s # %
11/16 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church #
11/17 Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose # (EARLY AA Show)
11/18 Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop #
11/19 Grand Rapid, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme #
11/25 Portland, OR, @ Doug Fir Lounge w/ Helms Alee and #
11/26 Seattle, WA @ Neumos w/ Crypts and #
11/28 Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour # *
11/29 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah #*
12/02 Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club $ ^
12/03 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall $ ^
# w/ Deafheaven
$ w/ Young Widows
! w/ Indian Handcrafts
%w/ The Men
^ w/ Anatomy of a Habit
* w/ Marriages (feat. Members of Red Sparowes)
In its ongoing attempt to render heavy metal lighter than air, the instrumental trio Russian Circles has made some giant leaps upward—the most recent being 2009’s gorgeous Geneva, an album that emulsified Godflesh and Godspeed You! Black Emperor into a thick yet atmospheric protoplasm. It’s taken two years for Russian Circles to follow up with Empros, and it deviates from Geneva’s chamber-industrial ambience in a major way: The disc’s long gestation has given Empros opportunity to skip a few rungs on the evolutionary ladder.
Empros also brings something the band has long lacked, according to its detractors: low end. Bludgeoning in its density, the opener, “309,” comes on like a collapsing star. Bassist Brian Cook delivers his most tensile, tendon-like lines since his days with Botch and These Arms Are Snakes; instead of solos, guitarist Mike Sullivan plays ghosts. And on “Atackla,” Dave Turncrantz uses the drum kit as both an earthmover and a launch pad. By the time the gauzy, Swans-like gospel of “Praise Be Man” is pulverized by the distorted force of some heavenly fist, the disc has been swept off the planet entirely.
Most significantly, though, Russian Circles has finally shed its last vestige of orthodox post-rock, with all its precious textures and cerebral calculation. Rather, Empros is by far the closest thing to a true metal album that Russian Circles has ever made—in spirit, if not in fact. That alone doesn’t make it great, but the group’s simultaneous mastery and subversion of metal dynamics, astral melody, and deep wells of light and dark certainly does. Emprosdoesn’t just defy gravity, it defines it.
by Jason Heller
THIS YEAR YOU CAN ALSO WATCH FFF FEST ONLINE IN REAL TIME ON PITCHFORK
FFF Fest // Friday - November 4th @ Auditorium Shores
Russian Circles / Black Stage at 6:30 (Online Streaming at Pitchfork.com)
Saturday - November 5th - FFF Nites / Red 7
Russian Circles at 1:15am - 2am
Tera Melos at 12:30 - 1am
Boris at 11:15pm - 12:05am
- All Ages / FREE with Festival Wristband
For their fourth album, Empros (first directly for Sargent House), the instrumental three-piece Russian Circles returned to producer Brandon Curtis of The Secret Machines, who also helmed 2009’s Geneva. The reasons why are fairly obvious: What the Chicago outfit was able to accomplish with Geneva was their most formidable blend yet of ambience and post-metallic heft, and for the sheer sounds Curtis was able to capture from guitarist Mike Sullivan, bassist Brian Cook (also ex-Botch/These Arms are Snakes) and drummer Dave Turncrantz, their wanting to recreate at least that element of the Geneva experience is well justified. That said, Empros and Geneva are different enough albums that, even without vocals as the latest is – except for the psychedelic lullaby closer “Praise be Man” – it becomes clear Russian Circles approached the construction of these songs with something altogether heavier in mind. It’s not so much that their tones have changed, though right from opener “309,” there’s a lot riding on the sometimes Godfleshy and mechanized feel of Cook’s bass, but the way the material is put together. Where some of Geneva’s ambience was allowed to wander, the six tracks of Empros are less so, so that even when the heaviness breaks into a stretch of indie-infused airy atmospherics, loops and long-ringing tones, there’s a pointedness and direction to them.
Likewise, when Russian Circles do launch into one of the crunching parts through which they’ve helped innovate post-metal instrumentalism, they sound heavier than they ever have. Four albums in, they also know how to make that work to their advantage. Both “309” and “Mlàdek,” which follows, build to stunning apexes, the later propelled by a galloping riff worthy of YOB but played faster and still cut too short. The second track has a kind of pop drama in its earlier stretch, with Turncrantz setting an upbeat pace and playing well off Sullivan’s cues. The name reportedly comes from their bus driver on their European tour for Geneva, and it’s one of the most discernible structures on Empros, twice repeating a section cycle before launching into the build that comprises the aforementioned second half. A lot of what Russian Circles do on Empros will sound familiar to heads who’ve watched post-metal come of age, and while it probably won’t change too many minds who are either sick of the sound or bemoaning the inevitable sacrifice of crushing sonics that comes with ambience, Russian Circles have grown into a band who not only can manage both, but who helped bring the subgenre to what it is. I’d include the likes of Red Sparowes and fellow Chicagoans Pelican in this as well, the latter perhaps most of all, but Russian Circles have consistently managed to concoct solid matter from distant waves of sound. The added transitional elements they bring to Empros only show an increase in overall focus and maturity in how they think about their work on a larger scale.
And though it’s invariably met with some level of novelty simply for the fact that it includes vocals – far back, melodic singing that’s primarily responsible for the already-mentioned lullaby feel – “Praise be Man” has more to it than just that. To compare it to Pelican’s “Final Breath” from 2009’s What We all Come to Need (which also was an unforeseen foray into vocals), “Praise be Man” is far more subdued, despite the swaying bass from Cook that swells to prominence. Soft acoustic guitar tops droning to underscore the otherworldly element of the singing, but Empros still ends with noise that in some way manages to echo the intensity of the first couple tracks without actually adopting their methods. Russian Circles fans who’ve let themselves be taken previously along the band’s sweeping progressions will doubtless herald their latest outing as their best, and the unconvinced will remain unconvinced. What works most of all about Empros, though, is how it’s not the atmosphere that’s dominant, or the heaviness, but the band itself. If this is Russian Circles coming of age as a trio, then the textures they create are that much more vibrant, and all the work they’ve done to this point has been justified. It’s an easy release to be excited about, and never loses its focus no matter how dreamy and psychedelic it gets. It is an accomplishment that, on a creative level, pushes Sullivan, Cook and Turncrantz to the front of their subgenre.
Chicago post-rock heroes return with stellar fourth album...
Rating: 9 /10
For a genre that’s literally bursting at the seams these days, it’s hard to see how post-rock can really progress and stay fresh. Fortunately, these thoughts don’t seem to bother Russian Circles. The Chicagoans unleash album number four and show no signs of withering just yet. The rousing ‘309’ kicks things off while the glorious ‘Mladek’ sounds like they’ve enlisted The Edge (circa ‘Joshua Tree’) to lend a hand with the distinctive guitar tone. ‘Schipol’ is pure majestic bliss and closer ‘Praise Be Man’ sees bassist Brian Cook on rare vocal duties to create a dreamy Spiritualized moment. Their name might suggest one thing, but this lot are definitely not going around in circles; this is their best record yet.
