The early turnout was strong at Melbourne's Max Watt's on Friday night (9 February), as the room eagerly filled with patrons ready to bear witness to the return of post-metal icons Russian Circles for the first time in two album cycles.
Kicking things off were Melbourne four-piece Myriad Drone, who did well to lay the table for the night to follow.While post-metal is a genre all too easily left to its tried and true formula (lonely ambient intro, glacial-pace crescendo, huge metal climax), each support act on this bill did well to carve out their own corner and find their niche.
For Myriad Drone, this was best displayed by their dual falsetto vocals, which brought an almost angelic, shoegaze element to their sound. Blending intricate guitar arpeggios and lush effects throughout their lighter passages, their soaring heavy movements were led by their absolute powerhouse of a drummer Hayley de Kruiff, who added depth and complexity to each song.
Having accompanied the headliners on their New Zealand tour leg the previous week, guitarist/ vocalist Jacob Petrossian announced they used to have t-shirts to sell, but "the Kiwis bought 'em all". Judging from the early attendees' bobbing heads and lively applause, they would have sold a few more if they'd had the stock.
Treebeard followed, leaning heavier and bringing more of a rock swagger. Also a Melbourne four-piece, their contrast in approach showcased the fertile ground within the homegrown scene, trading the complexity for stripped back, pounding drums and metallic guitars.
Grounded by Rhys Brennan's grooving, deep digging basslines, Treebeard brought forth elements of Tool and Gojira at their most rhythmic.
While the band's sound was rooted in instrumental compositions, frontman Pat Cooke let loose a snarling growl to sing a new song from their forthcoming second album. Funnily enough, this may have been the only song of the entire night with a lead vocal throughout.
A smart play by any support act trying to catch the ear of folks only interested in the headliner, their song selections grew heavier over the course of their set, culminating with the highlight '8x0' from the their 2021 debut record 'Nostalgia'.
A quick glance at the Treebeard's social media revealed an old interview where they named Russian Circles as their 'bucket list' fantasy band to have the chance to open for. Tonight their wish was granted, and they rose to the occasion triumphantly.
For many, these two acts would have been perfectly satisfying support to lead into the headliner's set, but promoter Bird's Robe were set on making it something special.
Perth's Tangled Thoughts of Leaving had clearly left a strong impression from their opening slot when Russian Circles last played here in 2019.
Now supporting on every Australian date for the tour, there was a great deal of buzz for them as the stage was set up with analogue synths, racks full of effects, and pedalboards "bigger than my car" as one punter put it. The hype was brewing.
If the prior two bands were erring between complex vs. simple parts or light vs. heavy vocals to differentiate themselves within the post-metal world, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving were running as far to the other side of the spectrum as they could to plant their flag.
This was avant-noise, bringing jazz and experimental metal together in a way that evoked Fantômas levels of audio insanity. Opening with an aggressive sound collage (which served to drop the audience into the deep end), the band were constantly moving from one device to the next, three of the four members constantly twisting knobs on pedals or synths.
Drummer Gracie Smith, the only member not helming a device resembling a space-ship control panel, was instead tasked with the gargantuan effort of setting the rhythm of the madness.
Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving (Brisbane show) - image © Clea-marie Thorne
It took all hands on deck to keep the ship from crashing, and with the entire set being performed as one, long piece without gaps, that risk felt very real.
Their chemistry as a band was impossible to miss, as the performance drew equally in sections of meticulously tight interwoven parts, and loose freeform improvisation. Even if not everyone's cup of tea, the skill and musicianship on display is undeniable.
It was during their set where I first noticed how much the Max Watt's lighting rig was elevating the performances. Pulsing yellow strips evoking highway lane markers transported the venue from Melbourne's bustling Swanston St to a location fit for a 'Blade Runner' remake, and this helped place TToL's synth and noise aspects in a sci-fi setting which made a lot of sense.
With only a couple of stolen moments to applaud and cheer within the set, when Tangled Thoughts of Leaving finally reached their stunning conclusion and stood still, the audience erupted with a huge response.
By the time the Chicago-based headliner Russian Circles took the stage, we were well and truly primed. Kicking off with 'Station' and 'Harper Lewis' back to back, it was simply mesmerising how just three people could create such an all-encompassing sound.
Through a sea of textural noise, Mike Sullivan's shimmering guitar would float above the thunderous bass of Brian Cook, while Dave Turncrantz cut straight through the centre and anchored the two to his beat.
Russian Circles (Brisbane show) - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Their self-imposed limitations (three instruments, no vocals) allowing their songwriting abilities to shine through. Each section, riff, and melody is paced and measured, never outstaying its welcome. Because of this, their brand new material stands toe to toe with their nostalgic old flames.
While dubbed the 'Gnosis' tour, supporting their 2022 LP of the same name, this was also the first time Russian Circles had performed in Australia since the release of 2019's 'Blood Year'.
Both albums were represented heartily in the set list, which also balanced fan favourites from their breakout record 'Station' alongside choice selections from almost everything in-between.
Each song was separated by an ambient soundscape passage, occasionally used as the foundation for the band to slowly build the next song upon, but more often serving as contrast for what was about to unfold.
Russian Circles (Brisbane show) - image © Clea-marie Thorne
This was best exemplified when the band launched into 'Betrayal' from the new record. Here, the bed of lush, textural ambience existed as a sacrifice, beauty in statis, only created to be annihilated by the wall of noise and blast beats that immediately followed.
The fourth member of the band is undoubtedly their lighting tech, as the elaborate cues were comparable to that of a Nine Inch Nails show (although surely at a slim fraction of the production budget).
In 'Afrika', the bass drum was lit up from within with a glowing neon orange, flashing in sequence with Turncrantz's kicks. Title track 'Gnosis' came bathed in a spiralling deep aquatic green, communicating the visual of being deep underwater and struggling to find the surface to come up for air.
My personal highlight came during the percussive intro to 'Quartered', as the Max Watt's ceiling strip lights were utilised again to create a single, piercing beam of white down from the heavens, stuttering to the rhythm. When the rest of the band launched into the song, so did the remainder of the ceiling strips pulsing outwards from the stage. It was breathtaking.
Closing out with the iconic 'Youngblood', followed by the upbeat and spirited 'Mlàdek', the trio drew the curtain on a phenomenal night of post-metal.
Russian Circles (Brisbane show) - image © Clea-marie Thorne
It's all too easy to book a big name international headliner and throw whoever's free that night onto the bill as support. I know that caring to get in early and catch the opener isn't everyone's deal, especially when it comes to a legendary act like Russian Circles who have no direct connection to the local scene.
That said, I'm very glad Bird's Robe, the promoter for this tour, don't think like this. This was a carefully curated night of heavy, experimental, atmospheric music showcasing a great display of emerging bands in both the local Melbourne area and Australia as a whole, holding their own alongside titans of the genre.
It led to a beautiful night of amazing music, and I'm very happy to have had the chance to witness it.
- written by Christopher Jane
