Russian Circles

All Music Guide:

The post-rock/experimental trio Russian Circles feature Mike Sullivan (guitar), Colin DeKuiper (bass), and Dave Turncrantz (drums). Prior to Russian Circles, Sullivan and DeKuiper were members of the eclectic instrumental act Dakota/Dakota, whereas Turncrantz produced an emo-punk ruckus with Riddle of Steel. The instrumental group formed in 2005 in Chicago, and together they create a complex clamor of sprawling guitars, propulsive drumming, and heavy basslines. That same year, Russian Circles self-released their eponymous EP. Two limited-edition pressings sold out quickly. Enter marked their full-length debut for Flameshovel in spring 2006. A performance at the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, TX, and a brief U.S. tour with Minus the Bear and Chin Up Chin Up coincided with its release. DeKuiper parted ways with the band in 2007, and was replaced with Botch/These Arms Are Snakes bassist Brian Cook. Russian Circles went into the studio with producer Matt Bayles (formerly of Minus the Bear), and in 2008 they released Station, their first record on Suicide Squeeze. They quickly followed up with another album, and in October of 2009 their third full-length, Geneva, was released. In 2011, Russian Circles made the move to Sargent House Records, who had previously been releasing the vinyl versions of their records, and later that year released their fourth album, Empros.

Wikipedia:

Russian Circles is a three piece instrumental rock/metal band from Chicago. Russian Circles play instrumental, sprawling music which runs the gamut of heavy discordant metal, to soft delicate passages. They are also known for their energetic live shows. Mostly headlining now, in their earlier days they toured with the likes of Boris, Isis, Red Sparowes, Minus the Bear, Daughters, Coheed & Cambria, Mono, and Pelican as well as appearances at the 2006 SXSW, and 2009's Bonnaroo. They were also the opening band for Tool while playing their first tour in the United Kingdom in 2007. Their name is taken from a drill exercise used in the game of ice hockey.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

History[edit]

Formed in late 2004 by guitarist Mike Sullivan and bassist Colin DeKuiper (both formerly of instrumental band Dakota/Dakota), they quickly recruited drummer Dave Turncrantz, formerly of St. Louis band Riddle of Steel.

In the autumn of 2007, it was announced that the band had parted ways with Colin DeKuiper. As a result, the bass tracks on their second album, titled Station, were handled by ex-Botch/These Arms Are Snakes bass player Brian Cook, who then joined the band permanently. The group's third full-length, Geneva, was released on October 20, 2009 and reached No. 24 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.

In 2011, Russian Circles signed to Sargent House who had previously only exclusively released the band's albums on limited edition vinyl. Their fourth studio album Empros was released on October 25, 2011. A supporting tour with Deafheaven followed the release. In May, 2013 the group began recording their fifth studio album, scheduled to be released later in 2013.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

Sound[edit]

When performing live, the band is noted for being able to replicate and even expand upon their recorded material through Sullivan and Cook's use of sampling, extensive array of effects pedals and loop pedals to build layers of sound.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).