A journal of my thoughts on albums past and present that I come across on my musical journey.

Gnosis album cover. 6.0 out of 10

Gnosis

Russian Circles

I know they've been around for a long time and Brian Cook - who is somewhat of a role model for me given that he is a humble, openly gay metal and hardcore legend - plays in the band, but I have never listened to any of their stuff until now. I know... bad! So I dove into their new album Gnosis, and if I'm being honest, it's just okay. It has that live, powerful production, the tone of the guitars are thick while the drums sound nice and crisp, and overall it just has a nice heavy vibe. However, nothing about this record is really pushing boundaries. No interesting sound play, no perplexing melodies to ponder, and it doesn't necessarily astound on a technical playing level. I get that Russian Circles aren't really aiming for being progressive; just trying to craft some decent post-metal jams. For me personally though, it is really hard for an instrumental band to captivate me with just a vibe alone. Gnosis has its moments, like the endings of the title track and Vlastimil. The former's ending is super crushing with chugging guitars and the unexpected rhythm switch-ups, while the latter has some pretty epic lead melodies that close the song out. Although, at nearly eight and seven minutes respectively, getting to that satisfying climax is a bit of a slog.

There were some unfortunate moments as well like Conduit, which mostly suffered due to the drumming. The triplet kick drums constantly rattling off just couldn't seem to lock in with the chugging guitars on this one. Nearly the whole time, it had this lopsided feeling that was super distracting. Ó Braonáin also seemed like a half-baked guitar interlude. With how loose the timing was and how timidly some of the notes ring out, it seemed like somewhat of an improvised 'just playing around as the tape is rolling' instead of this intentional and confident musical statement. On the other hand, the final track Bloom, was the only song that impressed me. It has this simple melody that chimes and echoes away, patient drums that feature a subtle shuffle on the hi-hat or ride cymbal depending on the section, and I also really love that synthetic bass tone. The song builds toward a very beautiful and uplifting conclusion with crashing half-timed drums, various guitar wails coming up from the background, and this ominous descending lead melody.

Sadly, there's not much more to write home about in regards to this record. If you're in the mood for something that is heavy and driving; nothing that is going to work your brain too much and instead supply a thunderous vibe, then I can see this appealing to you. For me though, I guess I would have liked to hear more of an attempt to experiment, although I concede that Russian Circles most likely are aiming for more of a no frills, 'meat and potatoes' metal experience. I respect it, it's just not entirely for me.

6.0

Standouts: Bloom

Post-Metal (2022) Sargent House. Reviewed September 4th, 2022

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