The most interesting releases of the week(s)!
Nine was released on Sargent House. Instrumental post-metal band Russian Circle‘s…ninth album…highlights the importance of tone and mixing. Memorable guitar lines are enhanced by shifting distortion and bends, while backing guitars and heavy drums sound as if they’re coming from another room. The mixing’s grandiose deception makes Nine feel heavier than past Russian Circles releases. The band’s songwriting has improved since Gnosis, which I enjoyed, but never felt grabbed by. Nine captivates.
Russian Circles use variety in their drums and rhythm guitars to both highlight and increase acceptance for the repetition in their lead melodic line. The band tends to repeat their melodies more than a few times in a row. Combine this with the music being instrumental and you risk everything turning to mush. The rhythm section drives the band in a different direction, with shifting silences, spaces, and speeds giving Russian Circles room to both ensure that their melodies stick in their listeners’ heads without growing stale. Combine this with how well Nine warps guitar tones around themselves, and you get my favorite Russian Circle release since at least Memorial, if not ever.
Reminiscence, released on Season of Mist, contains old-school Florida death/thrash. The album’s opening riff sounds like something straight off of Unquestionable Presence. From there, Miscreance give us a mix of the old and the new. Vocals maintain those old, sunny thrash roots, and the songwriting keeps the seeming moment-to-moment spontaneity that bands like Atheist and occasionally Nocturnus could exploit. Eventually, the album incorporates features such as clean background vocals and more erratic song structures that make Reminiscence an album out of time.
Reminiscence has such good pop to the drums that I’d probably be writing about this album even if everything else sucked. I love the production here. The bass is clear, the vocals blend into the guitars quite well. There’s enough space for the listener to fully appreciate the space made by staccato guitar lines. The riffs themselves are sometimes just what you’d expect from an album like this, but there’s enough to love that I can tolerate the familiarity.
Damnation’s Veil was released on Transcending Obscurity Records. After the obligatory useless intro, Ninth Realm kick off a series of aggressive death/thrash songs that basically never stops. Ninth Realm sacrifices anything they can in favor of aggression, whether that’s in the form vocal howls on top of space-filling blast beats and sheets of guitars, or slower, snarling sections that sound like the aftermath of a car crash. For all that this sounds like a bludgeoning, Ninth Realm keep things interesting and engaging throughout Damnation’s Veil‘s concise-enough run time.
Soledad & Orgullo was released on Personal Records. I’m not so much a fan of the final 14-plus minute bonus track, but prior to that, Argul have created some interesting stoner doom. Hazy, slow riffs give way to morose clean vocals. The tone is so, so satisfying. This is music to lower your heartbeat and your blood pressure. Despite all this, Argul maintain precision throughout Soledad & Orgullo. The band doesn’t get stuck in a meandering rut until the previously-mentioned final track. This album is somehow slower, more stretched out, and more engaging than most stoner doom. The vocal performance also deserves special attention.
