This show made me fall back in love with Russian Circles. I got into the band in 2006 (the only good thing pandora.com has ever done for me). They only had one album, a primitive website and a modest amount of friends on myspace. The band has since released two more albums, opened for Tool and Red Sparowes and now have a wider and more solidified fanbase.I hadn't seen Russian Circles in over two years. I couldn't get in to their sold out show with Red Sparowes, and I was so let down by last year's Geneva album that I skipped their SF stop for that tour. Since then I've gotten over my disappointment, and the addition of Keelhaul was more than enough to see the band I once loved so dearly.
The band played a powerful and energetic set of epic, melodic, instrumental metal. They played with the confidence of bands twice their age. Mike Sullivan is a true master of the loop pedal, his timing is incredible. Not to mention ex-These Arms Are Snakes bassist Brian Cook playing keyboard and bass simultaneously, and Dave Turncrantz's expressive drumming.
An excerpt from the song 'Youngblood' to follow...
Bottom of the Hill 10/25/10
