Russian Circles

Russian Circles & Deafheaven begin their European Tour together on April 5th in Prague. All Dates below. A big thank you for the Poster artwork goes to Xavi at Error Design and big thanks to Vincent at Odyssey Booking for booking the tour.
Remember to always check with venues directly to confirm show times and age restrictions. 

RUSSIAN CIRCLES & DEAFHEAVEN OVERSEAS TOUR 2012
Apr 05 - Prague, CZ @ Matrix
Apr 06 - Vienna, AT @ Arena
Apr 07 - Munich, DE @ Feierwerk
Apr 08 - Dresden, DE @ Beatpol
Apr 09 - Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Apr 10 - Warsaw, PL @ Hydrozagadka
Apr 11 - Vilnius, LT @ Propaganda
Apr 12 - Riga, LV @ Gertrudes 101 
Apr 13 - Tallinn, ES @ Electric Storm Festival at Tapper
Apr 14 - Helsinki, FI @ Virgin Oil Company
Apr 15 - Moscow, RU @ Gogol  (Russian Circles only)
Apr 16 - Stockholm, SE @ Strand
Apr 17 - Oslo, NO @ Revolver
Apr 18 - Gothenberg, SE @ Truckstop Alaska
Apr 19 - Copenhagen, DK @ KB 18 
Apr 20 - Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang
Apr 21 - Utrecht, NI @ Tivoli
Apr 22 - Brussels, BE @ Magasin 4 
Apr 23 - Esch-Sur-Alzette, LU @ Rockhal
Apr 25 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
Apr 26 - Belfast, IE @ Speakeasy
Apr 27 - Limerick, IE @ Dolan’s Warehouse
Apr 28 - Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
Apr 29 - Manchester, UK @ The Ruby Lounge
Apr 30 - London, UK @ Scala Theater
May 02 - Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
May 03 - Kortrijk, BE @ De Kreun
May 04 - Koln, DE @ Gebaeude 9 
May 05 - Karlsruhe, DE @ Die Stadtmitte
May 06 - Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
May 07 - Geneva, CH @ Le Kab
May 08 - Milan, IT @ Magnolia
May 09 - Lyon, FR @ Le Clacson
May 11 - Bilbao, ES @ Azkena
May 12 - Porto, PT @ Hard Club
May 13 - Lisbon, PT @ Musicbox
May 14 - Madrid, ES @ Ritmo & Compas
May 15 - Barcelona, ES @ Apolo 2

ALWAYS CHECK HERE FOR UPDATES

Russian Circles will be headlining a six week long overseas tour in support of their latest critically praised release Empros out now on Sargent House. Direct support on all the shows except Moscow will be Deafheaven. Remember to always check with venues directly to confirm show times and age restrictions.

RUSSIAN CIRCLES & DEAFHEAVEN OVERSEAS TOUR 2012 
Apr 05 - Prague, CZ @ Matrix
Apr 06 - Vienna, AT @ Arena
Apr 07 - Munich, DE @ Feierwerk
Apr 08 - Dresden, DE @ Beatpol
Apr 09 - Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Apr 10 - Warsaw, PL @ Hydrozagadka
Apr 11 - Vilnius, LT @ Propaganda
Apr 12 - Riga, LV @ Gertrudes 101 
Apr 13 - Tallinn, ES @ Electric Storm Festival at Tapper
Apr 14 - Helsinki, FI @ Virgin Oil Company
Apr 15 - Moscow, RU @ Gogol  (Russian Circles only)
Apr 16 - Stockholm, SE @ Strand
Apr 17 - Oslo, NO @ Revolver
Apr 18 - Gothenberg, SE @ Truckstop Alaska
Apr 19 - Copenhagen, DK @ KB 18 
Apr 20 - Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang
Apr 21 - Utrecht, NI @ Tivoli
Apr 22 - Brussels, BE @ Magasin 4 
Apr 23 - Esch-Sur-Alzette, LU @ Rockhal
Apr 25 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
Apr 26 - Belfast, IE @ Speakeasy
Apr 27 - Limerick, IE @ Dolan’s Warehouse
Apr 28 - Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
Apr 29 - Manchester, UK @ The Ruby Lounge
Apr 30 - London, UK @ Scala Theater
May 02 - Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
May 03 - Kortrijk, BE @ De Kreun
May 04 - Koln, DE @ Gebaeude 9 
May 05 - Karlsruhe, DE @ Die Stadtmitte
May 06 - Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
May 07 - Geneva, CH @ Le Kab
May 08 - Milan, IT @ Magnolia
May 09 - Lyon, FR @ Le Clacson
May 11 - Bilbao, ES @ Azkena
May 12 - Porto, PT @ Hard Club
May 13 - Lisbon, PT @ Musicbox
May 14 - Madrid, ES @ Ritmo & Compas
May 15 - Barcelona, ES @ Apolo 2

ALWAYS CHECK HERE FOR UPDATES

Metacritic Top 25 Highest-Reviewed Albums of 2011 is a rundown of the best albums of the past year as determined by their Metascores — an average of all reviews given by professional critics at the time of each album’s original release. Note that live albums, reissues, compilations, and the like are excluded from this chart. - Click to See Top 25

  Russian Circles: Empros (Sargent House, 10/25/11

In 2009, instrumental rock trio Russian Circles released Geneva, an album that both introduced the worming bass lines of Brian Cook (of These Arms are Snakes) and showcased the band’s balance of metallic fury and melodic beauty. Complementary strings and horns also dotted the sonic landscape, creating a superlative post-metal opus.

Empros cuts away the complementary pieces of Geneva, instead focusing on the trio’s interplay. Cook has further ingrained himself in the Russian Circles sound, allowing the galloping rhythm section just as frequently to play the lead as Mike Sullivan’s effects-heavy, overdubbed guitars. And the usual ear for dynamics is present once more, building moments of tension and release to go with the killer riffs.

Click HERE to see Full Lists

A balancing act on a cosmic scale, Empros — the fourth LP from mostly instrumental Chicago trio Russian Circles— marries light to dark, order to chaos. Empros swings from the exceedingly beautiful to the punishingly physical in seconds flat. Every note on Empros is its right place, every surface scraped-up just so; a recent Decibel writeup found bassist Brian Cook claiming he’d never make another record “from the ground up” like the meticulously constructed Empros. Shame, that; as on 2009’s swarmed-with-strings Geneva, the expanse charted by the grandiose Empros is very vast indeed.

Building on the strides they made on Geneva’s adventurous first half, Russian Circles complicate the drift-and-build of most post-rock, injecting craggy climaxes, letting the low end take the lead. Highlight “Mlàdek” finds a rousing, almost Broken Social Scene-style guitar chug careening headlong into a patch of black metal-inspired ballast; the shift in tone’s a bit jarring, but considering the disparity of styles at play, the transition’s pretty flawless. Empros’ best moments— the snowdrift strings that blow across the end of “Schiphol” and into “Atackla”, the patch cord static and drums that open “Batu,” the aforementioned “Mlàdek” assault— find some little sliver of gorgeousness overwhelmed by some orbit-upsetting rumble from Cook or some out-from-nowhere turnaround from drummer Dave Turncrantz.

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Who: Russian Circles

Vibe: Instrumental, progressive metal 

Bio: The Chicago/Seattle -based trio is made up of Mike Sullivan on guitar, Brian Cook on bass, and Dave Turncrantz on drums. They came out with their debut album, Enter, in 2006, followed by their second and third albums, Station (2008) and Geneva (2009). Since then the band has worked with producer Brandon Curtis (The Secret Machines and Interpol) for both Geneva and Empros (2011). Watch a video of Russian Circles performing the single “Geneva” from their previous album below!

Gear: Sullivan plays Les Paul Custom through a Verellen Meatsmoke. Read more about his gear and essential stompboxes below in “Five Questions with Russian Circles’ Mike Sullivan.”

Latest Projects: Empros came out in the U.S. on Oct. 25. They recently started their North American tour in support of the album. Check out their tour stops and dates here. 

Five Questions with Russian Circles’ Mike Sullivan

1. Empros came out on Oct. 25, and it was called your “heaviest album to date.” Tell me how you guys put this one together and what was different from your previous three albums. 

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Russian Circles will be headlining a tour across North America this fall in support of their upcoming album, Empros their fourth full-length that will be released on October 25 via Sargent House. Supporting the band on the road for the majority of shows will be Deafheaven. Always check with Venues directly for full lineups and door times.

RUSSIAN CIRCLES LIVE
11/02  Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds #
11/03  Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves #
11/04  Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest – Auditorium Shores
11/05  Austin, TX @ Red 7 – Fun Fun Fun Fest Nights w/ Boris , Tera Melos & #
11/07  New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s #
11/08  Atlanta, GA @ The Earl #
11/09  Newport, KY @Southgate House $#
11/10  Columbus, OH @Ravari Room $#
11/11  Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick $#
11/12  Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace # !
11/13  Buffalo, NY @ Soundlab # !
11/14  New York, NY@ Bowery Ballroom # %
11/15  Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s # %
11/16  Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church #
11/17  Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose #  (EARLY AA Show)
11/18   Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop #
11/19  Grand Rapid, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme #
11/25  Portland, OR, @ Doug Fir Lounge w/ Helms Alee and #
11/26  Seattle, WA @ Neumos  w/ Crypts and #
11/28  Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour # *
11/29  San Diego, CA @ The Casbah #*
12/02  Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club $ ^
12/03  Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall $ ^

# w/ Deafheaven
$ w/ Young Widows
! w/ Indian Handcrafts
%w/ The Men
^ w/ Anatomy of a Habit
* w/ Marriages (feat. Members of Red Sparowes)

(Source: artistdata.sonicbids.com)

Click above to Stream.

Next week, Chicago post-metal outfit Russian Circles will uncage their latest full-length, Empros. As SPIN’s own Christopher R. Weingarten so wryly summarized in his review of the record, it’s an offering that updates the band’s previous “feel-good churn” by “adopting the blown-out blear of black-metal, plus some adrenalized bass-drum stutter-rawk for good measure.” Look for it on shelves (courtesy of Sargent House) next Tuesday and check out a full-stream here.

Empros will be out everywhere in N. America on October 25, 2011 and in Europe on November 7th.

Russian Circles “Empros” Review in UK’s Rock-A-Rolla Magazine Issue #34. There is also a double page feature on the band with interview in this issue press here to pick up a copy!

CRAVEONLINE RATING 10/10 - by Iann Robinson

There are a series of films by director Alejandro Jodorowsky that remind me of Empros, the new album from instrumental innovators Russian Circles. The films, like this album, are filled with bizarre non-sequiturs, epic pieces that stand besides smaller parts and a feeling that so much more is going on here. Empros is a record that drives you to scratch at it again and again trying to find the core of what it revolves around. What is this? I know what it is. No I don’t, but I think maybe I can get to it if I listen again. How do I keep missing it? Why are the mysteries not handed over to me, what the hell is going on? 

From the opening madness of Empros, the ideas buzzed through my brain as I attempts to breakdown and sift through all the ideas going on. Jodorowsky’s films could not be taken at face value. No matter how incredible or ridiculous the ideas became, more was going on below the surface. Russian Circles have accomplished the same thing. There is what you hear; there is the thunderous riff or the groove. There is the melancholy guitar line or the raging rhythm section. Your senses can understand that.

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Post-metal band Russian Circles have recently entered the studio to record what will be their fourth full-length studio album.

Speaking recently with GuitarWorld.com, Russian Circles guitarist Mike Sullivan revealed that the Chicago three-piece were in the studio working on the follow-up to 2009’s Geneva. The album is set for an October release through Sargent House.

When asked if fans could expect any surprises from the new album, Sullivan had this to say: “I don’t want to get too into it, but there are definitely things that are new to us, that we didn’t really put thought into but just started happening in the writing process.”

“We were more adventurous with our tones,” he added. “It’s a broader spectrum of tones.” 

Russian Circles will be co-headlining a European tour together with new label mates Boris this Summer SAADE will be on all dates opening the tour. 

BORIS & RUSSIAN CIRCLES / SAADE : EUROPEAN SUMMER TOUR 2011
June 17 - Tilburg, Netherlands @ 013 Popcentrum
June 18 - Brugge, Belgium @ Entrepot  w/ The Ocean, Intronaut, Red Fang & More
June 19 - London, UK @ ULU 
June 20 - Manchester, UK @ Islington Mill 
June 21 - Bristol, UK @ The Fleece 
June 22 - Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie 
June 24 - Madrid, Spain @ Caracol
June 25 - Porto, Portugal @ Hard Club 
June 26 - Lisbon, Portugal @ Musicbox 
June 28 - Barcelona, Spain @ Apolo 2 
June 29 - Lyon, France @ Grrrrnd Zero 
June 30 - Zurich, Switzerland @ Rote Fabrik
July  01 - Karlsruhe, Germany @ Jubez 
July  02 - Munich, Germany @ Feierwerk 
July  04 - Rome, Italy @ Traffic Live
July  05 - Milan, Italy @ Miodi Festival /Magnolia (Outdoor Fest)
July  07 - Vienna, Austria @ Arena Vienna 
July  08 - Leipzig, Germany @ UT Connewitz 
July  09 - Prague, Czech @ Matrix Klub 
July  10 - Berlin, Germany @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
July  11 - Hamburg, Germany @ HafenKlang 
July  12 - Gothenberg, Sweden @ Truckstop Alaska 
July  13 - Oslo, Norway @ John Dee 
July  14 - Stockholm, Sweden @ The Strand 
July  15 - Copenhagen, Denmark @Vega 
July  16 - Dortmund, Germany @ FZW 
July  17 -  Dour, Belgium @ Dour Festival  

Chicago instrumental post-metal trio Russian Circles return to the studio today to begin recording material for a fourth album. Brandon Curtis of The Secret Machines & Interpol who produced the band’s previous album Geneva is producing & mixing the new collection of songs at Phantom Manor in Chicago. 

This marks the band’s first full-length to be released worldwide exclusively via Sargent House — the band’s longtime management company and record label that had previously released only the vinyl editions of its three previous albums. 

Russian Circles — guitarist Mike Sullivan, drummer Dave Turncrantz and bassist Brian Cook — will then take to the road this summer in Europe on a co-headlining tour with new label mates Japanese heavy-psych trio Boris. Tour dates will be announced soon. 

“A lot of the mood going into this album has been reflective on the last couple years of touring,” Cook says. “We have a ton of material. We’re excited to get into recording and be somewhat sheltered from the outside world. We’re going to try to make the same ebb and flow of our live set happen on the record, with more constructive dynamics and dramatic bridging between songs. We want to experiment in similar ways that we did with strings and embellishments on Geneva, but we don’t want to have songs that won’t sound the same in a live setting.” 

Press Release / photo by Chris Strong