The Rock Blogger

Russian Circles. Station . 2008. 3.5 stars .

Chicago’s Russian Circles play kinetic and aggressive post-rock in the same sludgy tradition as city mates Pelican, crafting expansive instrumental songs that are filled with shimmering guitars and powerful rhythms. Continuing on with the success that was their 2006 debut Enter , Russian Circles’ latest offering pares back on their metal flourishes as they venture to cosmic planes, opting for a sound that is interstellar but not pretentious. These virtuosoes avoid self-indulgent noodling and instead anchor their songs with strong driving beats and deep, fluid bass lines. By carefully blending their metal and post-rock aspirations together, Russian Circles steer clear of derivative Mogwai and Isis worship and create something that is both intense and stratospheric.

The album begins with the crystalline riffs of "Campaign" which starts things off delicately enough to draw you in. The guitar melodies are immediately effective and opens things up with calm anticipation. "Harper Lewis" kicks in heavy drum rolls before the guttural, slithering bass joins in. Jangly guitar lines hover in between, opening up the space of the track before the intense metal riffs begin chugging along. Astral guitars then begin to scream across the mix in the most lyrical fashion imaginable, reminding me of Explosions in the Sky’s magnificent "Greet Death". The following "Station" keeps up the pace and glides across with hypnotic bass fills and distorted guitars that play against the swirling drum cycles and cymbal crashes. Just try to not bang your head along to these monstrous riffs, it really is difficult to restrain yourself.

The beautiful "Versus" veers back to post-rock territory, as icy riffs line droning reverb, sounding like a heavier version of a glacial Sigur Ros song, before fully extending into heart-breaking melodies. The speedy "Youngblood" abandons the clean veneer and rocks out with tight guitar riffs and furious drumming, played out with impeccable precision. The slow and tension filled "Xavii" closes things off with some final celestial passages.

As I hope I have demonstrated with my descriptions above, Station features some amazing musicianship as the band’s sense of timing, melody and dynamics are pristine and accessible. If this album had come out a decade ago, it would easily be considered a post-rock masterpiece. Unfortunately though this Station is just one stop among many others, never managing to go the extra mile to differentiate itself from the work of other post-metal masters. Yet as a companion piece to the work of Pelican, or Zebulon Pike, Isis, etc., Station fits perfectly among its peers and will provide the kind of astral, bong-ripping experience fans of the genre are searching for. So if you want to be captivated by an intense performance, look to the Russian Circles.

“Harper Lewis” Live

Pyramids. Pyramids 2008. Hydra Head. 4.5 stars.

If the term ‘bliss-metal’ doesn’t make you cringe too much, then I would use it to describe Pyramids, an experimental metal/shoegaze band from Texas that follows with the heavy ambient drones of label mates Jesu. Like the work of Justin K. Broadrick, The Angelic Process and the more abstract efforts of Georgia’s Deerhunter, Pyramids play ethereal and occasionally noisy jams that are rich in buried melodies, hidden amongst layers of electronic sounds, fuzzed out guitars and blasting drum rolls. The crushing waves of sound pour out with drugged emotional intensity, as distant vocals glide across the industrial clamor like colorful ghosts.

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Zebulon Pike . II: The Deafening Twilight . 2006. 4 stars .

A brilliant album from this underwritten Minnesota band. II: The Deafening Twilight is the epitome of progressive metal, somehow managing to capture the crushing bass rhythms and distortion of doom while still thundering forward with epically technical energy. Zubulon Pike are as awe-inspiring as post metal acts like Pelican or The Russian Circles, but they sound like they are having the most fun, changing tempos and reveling in fuzzed out riffs across these 5 monstrous songs, the longest being the 20 minute "Ashes of Xerxes, Breath of Titan".

The captivating pacing of this album is reason enough to give it a spin, as wiry guitar riffs spiral in tense, climatic cycles, evoking the dark astral sides of Isis and even Tool. There’s no vocals though, this is strictly an instrumental affair, making it a perfect metal album for post rock fans fond of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky.

Overall, a wickedly fast and complex effort that is able to maintain direction and energy across its psychedelic marathons. The album’s cataclysmic sound might become emotionally draining across its hour plus duration, so come into this album prepared for long and immersing trip.

The Angelic Process. Weighing Souls With Sand. 2007. 3.5 stars.

Before disbanding at the end of 2007, Georgia’s The Angelic Process crafted this final epic, merging ambient and metal styles into a grand and mournful vision. Weighing Souls With Sand is best described as a massive wall of sound, reverberating with druggy shoegazing riffs and martial drumming, playing in the same league as post-metal bands like Jesu and newcomers Have a Nice Life.

While those other acts punctuate their sound with punk or industrial touches, The Angelic Process pushes more towards dark ambiance and experimentation, creating long emotive tracks that slowly unfold into fuzzed out and noisy climaxes, immersing you in their hazy atmosphere. Weighing Souls With Sand is a majestic accomplishment, with its hypnotic drones, ethereal and distant vocals and the sheer depth of its sound, the transcendental aspirations of the band are immediately fulfilled.

The only major criticism I can throw at this album is that the band far more concentrated on atmosphere than producing distinctive song structures, letting all the tracks bleed into each other with little variation between them. Whereas Jesu for instance will add to the variety on their releases by emphasizing different melodic elements, tones and vocal styles, The Angelic Process seem entranced by their own beauty and can’t avoid the sameness that falls across this otherwise fantastic record. However, if Weighing Souls is taken as a cohesive and psychedelic sonic experiment, rather than a collection of songs, than the listener is sure to find the whole experience rewarding. While the band is no longer creating music, as an unfortunate injury has left the guitarist unable to play fully, this release is a satisfying summation of an interesting trend in underground metal.

Rosetta. The Galilean Satellites. 2005. 3.5 stars.

Tired and hung-over on a Monday morning, you need some serious music to kick your ass a little - or conversely, to match your hazy and detached state of mind. Luckily, the post-metal tangents of Rosetta satisfy both those criteria, playing intense jams that are both aggressive and spacey. Anyone familiar with the tone and atmosphere of Isis, Neurosis or Pelican will find comfort in the stratospheric wanderings of Rosetta.

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Excellent live footage of Isis performing “Grinning Mouths” in Sweden. This performance really captures the progressive dynamics and psychedelic intensity this band possesses. I saw these guys perform at the Opera House in Toronto last year with Jesu and I was floored. Like Tool, Neurosis and Mastodon, Isis represents the best that post-metal has to offer.

Kayo Dot Choirs of the Eye. 2003. 4 stars

Kayo Dot. Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue. 2006. 4 stars.

Kayo Dot are a psychedelic metal outfit that formed out of the ashes of Maudlin of the Well, a progressive metal band that acquired a cult following in the underground scene. These two albums demonstrate the intense vocal abilities of the band’s mastermind Toby Driver as he verges from spine-chilling wails to hushed, harmonic whispers. Musically, the band sprawls in many exciting directions, using many fluid jazz arrangements, crunching metal riffs and waves of spectacular cymbal crashes. Defiantly one of the standout acts to emerge from the progressive metal scene, Kayo Dot’s jazz-metal explorations continues to challenge and reveal themselves over many listens.

Here, industrial dynamos Jesu put on a powerful performance of “We all Faulter”, one of the most intense tracks from their self-titled debut album. Their more recent LP Conquerer is just as killer and it ranked #4 on my Top 50 of 2007 List. I saw these guys in New York City and my jaw hit the floor. Here’s why: