Album Reviews: Russian Circles – Empros

When considering instrumental bands, especially after mulling around this website long enough, most people jump to the conclusion that their style will generally contain some sort of “math rock” basis to it. If no vocals are involved, the reason must be for enabling more focus to the instrumental aspect of the group. This much is true. However, not every one of these bands has to bear the wild, fast-paced intensity of Adebisi Shank or And So I Watch You From Afar. Russian Circles, a three-piece instrumental group from the windy city, is a different story from the recent custom of breakneck-speed math bands.

Listen to “Empros”

The Pros:

If rock music is ever described as math, the immediate assumption is that it is quick and elaborate in articulation to some degree. Empros is never really that quick of an album, but saying that its structure is mathematical would not be a stretch. This is the band’s fourth release together, and they sound tighter than ever. Self-proclaimedly, this is their heaviest effort to date, and it shows. For a seemingly minimal drum/bass/guitar setup, the sound they create on these six tracks of trudging darkness is baffling. Most three-pieces barely make a peep compared to this. These Chicago natives have constructed an ocean of doom metal that echoes influence of Sunn 0))) and Boris.

The Cons:

The Circles may have taken a turn for the metal side of music, but they are missing an integral part to keeping a song listenable: melody. Nearly every song save for “Praise Be Man” includes a buildup for the hellfire and brimstone that you know is about to be unleashed. Once the listener gets past that point, they are left hanging. Hanging by their hallux in a noose, by a cliff that drops off into the deepest point of the Grand Canyon, occupied by nothingness.

It is such a disappointment once each track gets kicking. “309″ swiftly delves into the unappealing thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud pounding of a bass, bass drum, and down-tuned guitar. “Mladek” starts off a little promising, but again, loses any hope due to the droning, crunching, concentrated racket that has made itself all-too-familiar on this album’s presence. Each subsequent song follows course, up until the oddity of “Praise Be Man.” Alone, this song is responsible for making Empros an untrue instrumental album. It features a strange, watery vocal introduction that falls flat at the first sign of fuzzed feedback, which makes for an ugly end to a frustratingly dull and pointlessly raucous album.

The Verdict:

Rather than exploring the many dimensions that instrumental music allows, Russian Circles have chosen the path of boring, thunderous drone metal. Yes, it is well rehearsed and has remnants of venerable acts of the genre. However, this is more or less the product of whatever thrash underlies the rap-core of Fred Durst. Boris executes this type of drone metal exquisitely on albums like Akuma no Uta and Pink, because they employ melody in everything they do. Their music is equal parts heavy, inventive, and enthralling. Empros is a greatly flawed submission to the genre, because while the Circles have every bit of potential, they forgot to make the music interesting this time around. I hope for better things in the future, but for now, their latest release is nothing but organized sludge.