Russian Circles - Geneva Review

Russian Circles - Geneva

Rating

RIYL

Pelican
Explosions in the Sky
Red Sparrowes

Release Date

10/20/2009

Label

Suicide Squeeze

Tracklist

1.)Fathom
2.)Geneva
3.)Melee
4.)Hexed All
5.)Malko
6.)When the Mountain Comes to Muhammad
7.)Philos

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When discussing whether the latest release from Russian Circles is good or bad, it is hard not to travel into the territory of, “Well it is good, but nothing special.” Unfortunately, this feels unsettlingly similar to those moments when your parents say to you, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed,” and we all know that comment can hurt just a little bit more than if they were actually mad.

Quite briefly, this is how to best describe Geneva: It is good, but not great. While their previous effort, Station, showed the band beginning to fade into designated background music, this recent album emphasizes the transition. It is this characteristic that is the most disappointing, as there is a wealth of talented post-metal potential buried in parts of the album, but the band just seems to lose focus, which results in some songs dragging on for an unnecessary length of time. But Russian Circles still knows how to go heavy, there is no denying that, and they show their capacity quickly.

Starting the record with a rhythmic, thumping beat, “Fathom” is a very misleading track, as its anthemic build up is filled with bassist Brian Cook’s heavily distorted hammer-on bass line, which is a rarity. Surely, this track is what most would expect from the band, along with the chugging “Geneva” which proceeds it, changing tempo and giving listeners the oh-so-desired chance to bang their head a little. Yet, sadly enough, there are only a few songs that waste no time, while the rest take far too long to get to their final destination.

Probably the most excruciatingly monotonous song on the album coincidentally has the longest title. “When the Mountain Comes to Muhammad” nears the eight minute mark and does absolutely nothing to retain the listener’s interest. The over-used atmospheric quality is what the song relies on, and it is a formula that is worn out in previous songs such as “Melee,” or even a few tracks found on their preceding album. “Hexed All” is undoubtedly the weakest link as it floats along aimlessly with no distinguishable purpose. It is a very slow-tempo, uninspired song that relies profoundly on a delicately orchestrated string arrangement. With only seven songs, though not uncommon for the band, it is hard to make up for lost points. Luckily, there are a couple that save the album from slipping into obscurity.

“Malko” starts off with a hypnotic tapping line, which is mostly absent in much of guitarist Mike Sullivan’s performance on this album. As the urgent drum and bass combination speeds the song into sonic chaos, a sigh of relief is warranted as the guitar’s chainsaw-like quality thrashes through a mess of symbols and a gurgling bass line. “Malko” exposes what is lacking throughout the album: intricate guitar work provided by Sullivan. Most of his riffs fall flat, adding nothing original to the composition and leaving all the slack to be picked up by drummer Dave Turncrantz and Cook, who shows the most impressive musicianship on this record.

From Enter, to Station, and now Geneva, Russian Circles appear to be on a slow decline as fewer songs have the ability to hold any type of significance. With only three standout tracks of the album's seven, it is hard not to see this as an album that most will be let down by. While there is still hope for this band in those three songs, they are clearly overshadowed by the rest.

--Andrew Beam

Author

happyknappy11

Last updated: 10/27/2009 08:48AM

Comments

pantsmeetshit

10/27/2009

09:42AM

Age: 26

Location
Los Angeles

I was really looking forward to this release and after I spun it a few times it certainly is a let down. The drumming is superb but the heavy riffs I have come to love are gone and replaced with more space. The talent is there just not used to its full potential.