ENTER

Somewhere in between post rock, post metal, and math rock, lurks a band called Russian circles. A rowdy band with a metal drive, but also with a precise and mellow edge, keeping it more on the post rock side. This trio is one of the most impressive post rock groups out there, with layer upon layer of guitar arpeggios, a throbbing bass, and a 100% math rock drummer, you will be blown away by your first listen of enter. Completely against the grind, this instrumental power trio drops the string quintets, but keeps up the dynamics to keep most of their songs interesting, and by the time most of the songs are done, you feel almost exhausted by the sheer power this group holds.

The album starts with my favorite song by the band; Carpe, a nine minute mini epic that blends the three genres I explained earlier perfectly. From the first few seconds, you can already tell you're in for some post rock, but the song gets metal fast, and just takes you for a ride for the next couple of minutes, taking you all over the post rock/metal spectrum, with gradual builds, epic climaxes, and slow breakdowns. This song pretty much reflects most of the album, high energy at most points, though occasionally dropping back down to much more lower maintenance sections, as a kind of breather. Sadly, there really isn't too much diversity in the mood, unlike most post rock, it's not very melancholy (good thing or bad thing, depending on your view). The album is mostly fairly hostile, and fast, leaving a lack of atmosphere, which was a bit of a disappointment to me.

I also wonder how this band does on stage. How are they going to pull off all the layering of guitars with only one guitar player? Well, I'll just have to wait to see them before I pass a judgment on that. Overall, the album is great, especially if you feel like listening to music with energy, but not so much energy to the point of metal (though I do know of some metal bands that have a lower energy level than thee guys). The only fault in the album is the lack of mood/atmosphere, that would completely envelope this album into a masterpiece. Oh well, the band is due an album this year, so we'll have to see what they have in store for us. As for enter, 4 stars.