On April 4th, Chicago post-metal giants Russian Circles played a sold-out show at Dickens’ Pub in Calgary, Alberta, with guests King Woman. Comparisons between the sound of openers King Woman—a doom metal band hailing from San Francisco—and that of Chelsea Wolfe, who was in town just three days prior, are inevitable. Still, this monarch exhibited plenty of distinctiveness in her sonic canvas to keep my attention. Led by the enigmatic Kristina Esfandiari, the group dragged the audience down a rabbit hole of oppressive dirges conjured primarily from their debut album, Created In The Image Of Suffering (2017). That well of shame and despair, inspired by Esfandiari’s childhood spent in a cult-like commune, drove the singer to her knees by the end of King Woman’s set. Wailing. Suffocating. Bent over. Petrified. Liberated? | (C) 2018 All rights reserved by www.metalmasterkingdom.com Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich |
(C) 2018 All rights reserved by www.metalmasterkingdom.com Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich | Then came the night’s headliners: Russian Circles. Without a word, they took to the stage and started playing. Without a word sung, or a word spoken, they captivated the audience, and without a word, they left. While there are times when words are key, at others, they would be overindulgent. The latter clearly was the case for Russian Circles. They didn’t need to tell people who they were. They didn’t introduce their songs, or engage in the usual between song banter with the audience. From beginning to end, they played, and with music as sublime as theirs, it was all they needed to do. The trio’s dynamic and multi-textured compositions—which take listeners on emotional journeys of depths unmatched by most bands with vocalists—were only intensified by the energy and flawless musicianship they displayed during their backlit performance. From “Station,” they took the fans on a grand sojourn through “Geneva”, “Afrika”, and onwards via pieces from their five most recent albums, ending with “Mládek”. The spellbound audience seemed unsure whether or not they should cheer between songs, and ultimately, it didn’t matter. |
KING WOMAN Kristina Esfandiari - Vocals Peter Arensdorf - Bass Joey Raygoza - Drums Colin Gallagher - Guitars Label: Relapse Records Website: www.kingwoman.band | RUSSIAN CIRCLES Mike Sullivan - Guitars Brian Cook - Bass Dave Turncrantz - Drums Label: Sargent House Records Website: www.russiancirclesband.com www.facebook.com/russiancirclesmusic |