Russian Circles: Enter

Enter, a six-song, 44-minute coming of age of Chicago’s Russian Circles, ably balances lovely clean-channel melodies and big-assed riffs alike. Its deft combinations of interwoven harmonies, rhythmic grooves, and nod-inducing drum work, along with its substantial ability to structure all-instrumental jams, make the standard-practice eight-minute tune feel much closer to four.

This outfit of drums, bass, and guitar, often augmented by guitar effects, piano, or mellotron, knows a thing or two about dynamics. Though beautiful melodies abound, listeners that pick up Enter should be banging their heads by “Death Rides a Horse,” the disc’s third track that begins with black-metal-esque riffage. “Death Rides a Horse” then meanders to dueling, distortion-free, palm-muted synchronizations before a well-placed bridge returns us to metal.

The sole knock on Enter is its repeat material from the band’s old four-song EP. It’s not that the musical recidivism is bad – a broader audience from this Flameshovel release deserves to be treated to the old hotness – but more new songs would have been appreciated.

– Scott Morrow

Russian Circles (Flameshovel)