MUSIC: Russian Circles – “Malko”

Chicago-based post-metal titans, Russian Circles, are getting ready to drop their third album, Geneva, on October 20th via Suicide Squeeze. A mere nine days after that they’ll lay waste to the Earl with some sinister space-age stage murdering of epic proportions. Souls will be crushed and faces melted. Russian Circles are some bloodthirsty dudes.

I mean, what else do you say about a band who allows their guitarist to describe their new single, “Malko,” like this: “This SKULLFUCKER commands the weak to rip their appendages off their SHITTY bodies and leave their worthless torsos to dry on the floor.” Normally we’d be quick to rip on this as some kind of half retarded World of Warcraft nerd speak, but, Jesus, he probably means it.

As for the song, it’s not the colossal, earth-shattering post-metal masterpiece we hoped for, but it is an incendiary bit of genre-jumping with some genuine live wire moments. Opening with a spiraling, tension-building guitar line that would make any present day emo act cream in their skinny jeans, “Malko” just explodes at the 1:43 mark, sending the song careening into a furious progression of bulldozer riffs, psychotic drum rolls and eerie, feedback-laced breakdowns. In lesser hands, this kitchen sink approach would likely come off as fractured, schizophrenic even, but Russian Circles have a gift for cranking out complex songs that remain cohesive and tuneful. While not their best, this is still potent, viciously dynamic stuff. Download it. Now.

DOWNLOAD: “Malko” MP3

As we mentioned, Geneva will hit the streets on October 20th. Here is the artwork and the track list. Geneva was engineered by Greg Norman at Electrical Audio and produced by Brandon Curtis of The Secret Machines.

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

Also, be sure to catch Russian Circles on tour this fall.

RUSSIAN CIRCLES FALL TOUR DATES:
Oct 28 – Cincinnati OH – The Mad Hatter *
Oct 29 – Atlanta GA – The Earl *
Oct 30 – Gainesville FL – THE FEST 8 @ Common Grounds
Oct 31 – Orlando FL – The Backbooth*
Nov 02 – Birmingham AL – The Bottletree*
Nov 03 – Baton Rouge LA – Spanish Moon*
Nov 04 – Little Rock AR – Juanita’s*
Nov 05 – Denton TX – Rubber Gloves**
Nov 06 – Houston TX – Rudyards **
Nov 07 – Austin TX – Waterloo Park FUN FUN FUN FEST
Nov 08 – Oklahoma City OK – Conservatory **
Nov 10 – Albuquerque NM – Launchpad **
Nov 11 – Phoenix AZ – The Clubhouse **
Nov 12 – San Diego CA – The Casbah **

* with Young Widows
** with Young Widows and Red Sparowes

More info:
Web: www.russiancircles.net
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/russiancircles
Label: www.suicidesqueeze.net