Release
date: August 05th
2016. Label: Sargent House. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Guidance
– Tracklisting
1.Asa
2.Vorel
3.Mota
4.Afrika
5.Overboard
6.Calla
7.Lisboa
Band
Members:
Dave
Turncrantz, Mike Sullivan, Brian Cook
Review:
Guidance,
the sixth album from Russian Circles sees the Chicago based
instrumental three piece honing their sound into an even sharper form
while at the same time, sees them becoming even grander in scope and
execution. With every album since the bands debut Enter in 2006, they
have broadened their instrumental sound to include ever expansive
sounds and they have gone even further in doing this with Guidance.
The
album ranges in both sounds and musical emotions, from the opening
salvation of Asa to the closing peak of powerful beauty that is
Lisboa and all that is in between,especially the stunning Overboard,
a song that is packed full of vigour and the majestic Vorel.
The
albums centrepoint and undoubted highlight is the initially uplifting
Mota, a song that climbs and climbs with a sound that exudes
positivity until shifting and eventually descending into a carefully
controlled bass led transcendence and a pummelling finale and this
works extremely well and spurs the song onto an even greater glory.
This compelling end morphs perfectly into the following track Afrika,
a song that again, is serene at first and then transforms into a more
mammoth composition. Afrika is a driving and uplifting track that is
full of redeeming anthemic qualities and serves to highlight the
contrast and power of the Russian Circles sound, something that
happens again and again on Guidance.
It
has to be said that bassist Brian Cooks recent work with Sumac
appears to have had a bearing on this album as there is, at certain
times, an added aggression to both his bass playing and the heaviness
on the album but is perfectly balanced by the more peaceful sounds on
Guidance, and it has to be said that even these more peaceful sounds
have an added power to them. Every time though, when the sound turns
more mellow, the continuation of that heaviness is never far away and
adds to the tense atmosphere that prevails and makes Guidance such a
compelling listen.
The
playing in the album is superb all the way through and highlights how
tight the band are when performing together and you can sense a
connection between all three members that results in how good the
album sounds.
Guidance
is a powerful album throughout with an heaviness that is epic in its
vision and that is a vision that is powerfully executed from
beginning to end and Russian Circles, as they have done since their
inception have upped the ante with these seven tracks of instrumental
post metal brilliance.
Words
by Gavin Brown
Thanks
to Rachel at Silver PR for the promo. Guidance will be out to buy on
CD/DD/Vinyl via Sargent House from August 05th 2016.
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