Nine

Chicago-bred post metal trio Russian Circles new album Nine continues their unhurried evolution and disciplined refinement, leaning into their strengths while pushing at the boundaries of their sound. This is a band with no hit songs. No fan consensus on their best album. Just a reputation of consistency and quality that built one of the biggest heavy instrumental rock bands in the world.While they insist that their music is a confluence of broad-ranging influences, it’s fair to say that Russian Circles’ adventurous diversity has developed into a distinct and singular sound.

Although Russian Circles is now spread across the country - guitarist Mike Sullivan in Los Angeles, drummer Dave Turncrantz based in Chicago, and bassist/keyboardist Brian Cook living in Vashon Island, outside of Seattle - the band triangulate their relative positions for Nine. Its seven seismic tracks act as long-form oriented soundtracks to the trials and tragedies of life in the modern age. “The music we make is a collective process of reconciliation, navigation, and reflection upon aging both as individuals and as a creative entity. Life has created very real distances between us, but the band continues to be at the center, and this creative collaboration is a way of charting the passage of time while also giving us a reason to look to the future,” the band elaborates. 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.

1. Borehole

2. Empath

3. Eluvial

4. E2

5. Meridian

6. Arletta

7. Seventh Seal