Russian Circles - Memoriam

Okay, we all have a band or artist that speaks to us on a particularly deep level, almost seeming like an artistic muse of our personality or taste. For me, Russian Circles is that band. They very recently released their fifth studio album, Memorial. It’s instrumental music, focused heavily on drums and shifting rhythms. In that sense, it’s typical of a Russian Circles release, but like each record before it the band has evolved. Their signature sound seems to be further refined on Memorial, and leaves no question why they continue to dominate the genre they pioneered (along with former label mates, Maserati).

I’d describe Memorial as dark, almost sour, especially in contrast to their past releases. After “Memoriam”, an acoustic intro, “Deficit” opens the record up in true Russian Circles style, with plenty of layered guitars, massive riffs, crazy bass fuzz and rotating polyrhythmic drum movements. Slow menacing riffs slowly speed up and build into a choppy, murderous riff with huge explosions of feedback and strings in the background. “1777”, one of the band’s best of all time in my opinion, plays on Russian Circles’ ability to engross the listener in a thick atmosphere, planting us somewhere in the distance, somewhere dark and cold.
In that sense, this band is truly one of the greats in terms of their ability to pull you in.

What really stands out about this record is the overall vibe it creates. Memorial seems inherently based around a set of feelings or ideas than individual riffs. “Memorial” and “Cheyenne” offer a great example of this. They are both tremendously understated, practically floating through time with little happening at all. Both tracks are about the textural experience. Not a lot of working and actively touring bands have attempted at, but Russian Circles pulls it off with finesse. Not once was I thirsting for structure or familiarity.

Every time Russian Circles releases a new record, I'm practically ashamed to listen to it. Its almost too perfectly suited to my tastes, and if there are flaws to be found, I’d be hard pressed to perceive them. Maybe one day I’ll be able to convince myself that some part of a certain song doesn’t work, or that a guitar tone is bad in a small section, but at the end of the day, I have a hard time finding anything negative to say about Memorial, or for that matter, Russian Circles in general. As a band, they’re completely focused on perfecting their craft. Their musicianship is impressive, and they’re far and away one of the most unique bands I’ve ever come across.

So all of that said, I’m clearly a little bit biased. Is Memorial a great record? I think so. Is it one of the best albums I’ve ever heard? That goes without saying, but I’ll stop being a fan boy now and let you judge for yourselves. Below is “Memorial”, the album closer. Enjoy!