Gnosis

For their eighth album, the individual members of post-metal trio Russian Circles decided to write songs independently before sharing them with the rest of the group, instead of the bands usual process of composing together in the practice room. While this allows a bit of variation, the tracks that made the final cut are largely more intense, visceral pieces, and Gnosis plays as a deliberately paced narrative rather than a fragmented patchwork. "Tupilak" starts the record off with arpeggiated guitar riffs and thundering drums, building to a galloping pace and a swarming flood of metal riffage, then reaching a bridge that alternates between restrained picking and forceful crushing. "Conduit" is a more compact, almost radio-ready set of meaty riffs and anxious drumming. The brief, faintly glimmering "O Braonain" is similar to the ambient interludes on the bands previous album, Blood Year, and "Gnosis" begins with a quiet glow before it starts its brooding ascent, waiting until the final few minutes before unleashing its torrential distortion. "Vlastimil" is the albums most apocalyptic song, crashing doom metal riffs against furious blastbeats. "Betrayal" is even more bracing, launching as a frantic spree before shifting through phases of various intensities. Closing track "Bloom" lets a lot more light into the landscape, stepping away from darker impulses and concentrating on hope. Russian Circles aesthetic is so distinctive that they arent going to deviate from it too much even if they attempt a different compositional technique, and Gnosis ends up being another skillfully executed, enjoyable variation on their signature sound. ~ Paul Simpson