Russian Circles...

I've been sitting on this Russian Circles record Enter for entirely too long. I finally got around to writing the review for Pop Matters last week and really regretted dragging my feet for so long. I think I was initially intimidated by the fact that the band plays instrumental rock. I often find that I have a hard time wrapping my head around instrumental music because a) I'm not a musician and b) it often lacks the hook or signature that I usually use to access a band's style. But really those are lazy excuses. So on a long drive before the Labor Weekend I put Enter (released on Flame Shovel Records) into the car CD player and let it rock me. It's unfortunate that instrumental rock music is thought of as less accessible than music with a vocalist and lyrics. Simply put Enter is a powerful record. It's heavy and loud, full of moments of metal, hardcore, indie rock, punk and spiraling slightly psych passages. It's varied and dynamically arresting, often traveling from moments of quiet simplicity to a raging barrage of guitar squal freak out. It was a great record for a long drive. It may not have vocals but the songs do speak. It's a strong record that deserves more attention than it's gotten.

2 songs from Enter:

Carpe

Death Rides A Horse