RUSSIAN CIRCLES

US post-metal trio embrace darker times, with a live-gig feel.

The prog world is chockfull of artists whose music speaks louder than words and Russian Circles are among those who’ve become adept at creating bold statements through carefully crafted instrumentals. They’ve spent 15 years and seven albums creating a sound that resonates beautifully on Blood Year’s melancholic anthems. Opening with the gentle Hunter Moon, the Chicago-based band lull the listener into a false sense of serenity, which is shattered by the time lead track Arluck kicks in. Its hypnotic grind and upbeat, tribal drumming mark the beginning of an intense and frequently

unsettling journey that’s broken only by small glimmers of optimism in the shape of occasional brighter guitar lines. Darker, more claustrophobic and cerebral than 2016’s apocalyptic guidance, Blood Year’s reverb-heavy meanderings show Russian Circles at their best, each hook and loop utterly memorable. From the dense textures of the sinister Kohokia to the brooding Sinaia, this seven-track album creates an unexpected heaviness without relying on trad metal riffs. And when closer Quartered kicks in with a ferocious bass drum and intense vibrato guitar, it feels like a fanfare to the end of times.