Russian Circles - Blood Year

At this point, there are certain things one would expect from a new Russian Circles album upon its release. The three-headed monster that is the the thick bass tone of Brian Cook, Mike Sullivan's crunchy guitar riffs, and the continued underrated brilliance of Dave Turncrantz's drumwork is a beast that has continued to stand the test of time. This tried and true formula, while evident throughout their career, has allowed the band plenty of room to move within its parameters. Each album has carved its own niche that stands alone to anything that came before or would come after. With the newest entry in their discography, Blood Year, the band takes a straightforward approach in terms of delivery; one that is more morosely heavy than blissful but still continues to push their sound in a logical (and welcome) direction.

Pelican - Nighttime Stories

Pelican was one of the first metal bands that I really got into.  Their instrumental post-metal was a pretty easy addition/transition from the post-hardcore bands like Thrice that I was listening to in high school, and their huge riffs and intense sonic landscapes were, ahem, instrumental in getting me into other types of metal as well.  2005's The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw is in my All-Time Top Ten, and each of their albums has had some kind of effect on me upon its release.  That said, 2007's City of Echoes is the last Pelican album I unequivocally love; 2009's What We All Come to Need and 2013's Forever Becoming certainly have incredible moments ("Ephemeral" and "The Creeper" from the former are easily two of the best songs the band has written).  So when word reached that the newest Pelican album, Nighttime Stories, would be released on June 7th, I was excited, but perhaps not as excited as I would have been a decade ago.  Was I just growing apart from one of my favorite bands, one of the bands who shaped my tastes in metal, performers of some of the best concerts I've ever attended?  Or has Pelican lost a step, losing whatever alchemy the band had in the first decade of the century and replacing it with something lesser?

Aesthesys - Achromata

Instrumental rock/metal bands that I listen to typically fall into two different camps. There's either technically awe-inspiring bands, such as Animals as Leaders, or emotionally enrapturing bands in the vein of Explosions in the Sky. Rarely do you hear bands that fit comfortably in that in-between area. But Moscow's Aesthesys is here to do exactly that with their second full-length album, Achromata. Birthed originally as a one-man project of Nik Koniwzski in 2007, the project has since evolved into a full band. With their latest endeavor, heavy guitars, violins, and keyboards all coalesce into an experience that evokes an airy introspection but also has a tangible grit under its surface. Filled with lush soundscapes, Achromata's journey is nothing short of enchanting.

Shroud Ritual - Five Suns

An interesting thing about instrumental music is the way it's judged as its own genre, as though a lack of vocals is the most notable characteristic of the music.  And while certainly instrumental music does provide a different listening and live viewing experience, I feel like labeling bands as simply "instrumental" lumps them all in together, as though they all sound the same, which is erroneous on multiple levels.  From the black metal of Tempel, to the post-metal riffs of Pelican, to the driving soundscapes of If These Trees Could Talk, instrumental bands are just as varied and cross-genred as their vocal counterparts.  Of course then there are bands like Shroud Ritual, a one man project out of Washington D.C.  Five Suns, the band's debut album, manages to blend and transcend genres, leaving instrumental as the easiest, laziest way to categorize their thoroughly unique sound.

The Minerva Conduct - The Minerva Conduct

Over the years we've been receiving album promos, I've noticed that the majority of the promos that we get from the Southeastern Asia region tend to use the use the words "brutal", "extreme", and "grind" in the band's description. "Instrumental" and "atmospheric" are terms that are a rarity, so coming across the debut of India's The Minerva Conduct was a real treat. Comprised of members of other Indian extreme metal bands, The Minerva Conduct is also aided in the drumming department by ex-Animals As Leaders member Navine Koperweis. While the self-titled debut of this collective doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table, it does pool together familiar elements in an impressively balanced manner. Technicality, rhythmic hooks, heaviness, and ambiance are things that not all instrumental act tries to equate in their band's formula, but The Minerva Conduct does exactly this, making it more than a worthwhile listen.

Exclusive Interview: If These Trees Could Talk

 Last Thursday, I had the incredible opportunity to see Akron, OH's instrumental post-metal masters If These Trees Could Talk live at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago.  Before the show, I was fortunate enough to take a stroll around the Roscoe Village neighborhood with guitarists Mike Socrates and Cody Kelly and drummer Zack Kelly; during the stroll we chatted about their incredible new album The Bones of a Dying World, Maynard James Keenan, the hotbed of musical talent from northern Ohio, Maynard James Keenan, their upcoming tour, and Maynard James Keenan.  It's a pretty great conversation, so you should listen to it all,  as well as check out my sub-amateur photography skills below!  Most importantly, do not miss out on ITTCT when they come through your city over the next three weeks!

Russian Circles - Guidance

Chicago native instrumental act Russian Circles has always demonstrated the rare, almost contradicting dynamic of keeping their musical output interesting while keeping their formula relatively simple. Behind the thick bass grooves of Brian Cook, the varied guitar stylings of Mike Sullivan, and the stupidly-tight drum work of Dave Turncrantz, the band has managed to keep each release equally unique while also maintaining a pleasant familiarity. Guidance is certainly no exception to this trend. By dichotomizing the volumetric peaks and valleys of their sound, Guidance serves as a prime example of how seamlessly the band can weave the ominous with the tranquil and everything else in-between on the emotional spectrum.

Tempel - The Moon Lit Our Path

Nearly three years ago, we received a bandcamp link from a two-man instrumental act called Temple. Self-identified in their description as "instrumental black metal," I was immediately intrigued. While this seemed like a descriptor that would have surely been placed on the metal blogoshpere's carousel of sub-genres already, I couldn't quite place a band that completely fit that label.  Thankfully for my ears, I decided to check out their debut album On The Steps of the Temple (reviewed by Durf here). In the wake of the positive response to the album, the band got picked up by Prosthetic Records, changed their name ever so slightly to Tempel, and have now released a second offering for us to enjoy.  Improving upon the formula from their first album, The Moon Lit Our Path showcases Tempel taking the trademarks of black metal and weaving them into atmospheric elements, soaring guitar solos, anthemic riffs, and unrelenting beats.  What results is a soundscape that is foreboding, serene, and full of heavy energy all at the same time.

Review: Temple - On The Steps Of The Temple

Though it has gone through many stylistic changes over the years, one of the tenants of black metal has always been the harsh, raspy vocals over the pummeling blast beats and distorted guitar riffs.  Some bands have played with and tweaked this formula, adding clean vocals here and there to complement the rasps, and interjecting long passages of ambient music in between lyrics.  But what happens if you take away those vocals entirely, leaving only the music?  Temple seeks to answer this question directly, with their brand of black metal-influenced instrumental metal on their debut album On the Steps of the Temple.   

Find out if it works after the jump…