| photo credit: Photo courtesy of @KEXP by @Nataworryphotography |
Russian Circles “are back to hypnotize headbangers” (Revolver). This Friday, they will release their new album, Nine, via Sargent House, and today they present another taste, “Seventh Seal.” Following the hypnotic “Eluvial” and “Empath,” “Seventh Seal” is the album’s dark closer. Taking inspiration from Cliff Burton-era Metallica’s penchant for pairing melancholic classical guitar passages with the blunt force trauma of their heaviest tracks, on “Seventh Seal,” the stark beauty of guitarist Mike Sullivan’s nylon string solo composition ushers in the band’s most unapologetically straightforward metallic assault. Watch Russian Circles’ Video for “Seventh Seal” |
For Nine, Russian Circles—Sullivan, drummer Dave Turncrantz, and bassist/keyboardist Brian Cook—adhered to their strategy from Blood Year (2019) and Gnosis (2022) by teaming up with engineer Kurt Ballou (Converge, Mastodon, High on Fire), who they’ve worked with since 2016. Basic tracking took place at Electrical Audio in Chicago, where they’ve recorded as far back as their debut album, Enter (2006), while the finishing touches occurred at Ballou’s GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts.
Reinvention is unnecessary when the path forward has always been an open horizon. When it comes to Russian Circles, you can go back through their catalog and find a vast array of broad-ranging influences — the formidable Touch & Go artists of the Midwest, the prog giants of late ‘60s and early ‘70s England, the hypnotic motorik and kosmische grooves of West Germany, and the international underground’s most caustic strains of metal. Yet, it’s fair to say the band’s adventurous diversity has evolved into its own distinct sound. Whereas earlier albums were almost playful in their traversing of territories, Nine is a document of a band that knows the lay of the land and is fortifying their dominion over the varied terrain.
Russian Circles have long been praised for their excellent live performance. This fall, they’ll bring their “colossal show of musicality and muscle” (Consequence) across North America. A full list of dates can be found below and tickets are now on sale.
Russian Circles Tour Dates
Fri. Sept. 25 – Whitefish Bay, WI @ The Argo *
Sat. Sept. 26 – Chicago, IL @ Bohemian National Cemetery *
Mon. Sept. 28 – Detroit, MI @ El Club *
Tue. Sept. 29 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House *
Wed. Sept. 30 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda *
Thu. Oct. 1 – Boston, MA @ Royale *
Sat. Oct. 3 – Queens, NY @ Knockdown Center *
Sun. Oct. 4 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
Mon. Oct. 5 – Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage *
Wed. Oct. 7 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
Thu. Oct. 8 – Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm *
Fri. Oct. 9 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theater *
Sat. Oct. 10 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
Mon. Oct. 12 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East *
Tue. Oct. 13 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi *
Wed. Nov. 4 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall $
Fri. Nov. 6 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves $
Sat. Nov. 7 – Austin, TX @ The Far Out Lounge $
Mon. Nov. 9 – Phoenix, AZ @ Walter Studios $
Wed. Nov. 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco $
Thu. Nov. 12 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall $
Sat. Nov. 14 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom $
Sun. Nov. 15 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox $
Mon. Nov. 16 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall $
Tue. Nov. 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall $
Thu. Nov. 19 – Englewood, CO @ The Gothic Theatre $
Fri. Nov. 20 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown $
Sat. Nov. 21 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater $
* w/ Pelican $ w/ Primitive Man
