Russian Circles + REZN
11/11/2024
Venue: Salamanda
Promoter: Aloud Music
Photography: Jordi Amela (@amela_photo_concert)
Writer: David Montón
Report for Genesimphonic and Tótum Revolútum
Russian Circles
Courtesy of Aloud Music, Russian Cicles paid us a visit on what marked the close of their recent European tour.
The Chicago band had already played Barcelona to present their latest studio album, Gnosis (2022), but for fans of this power trio there’s always a good excuse to enjoy their powerful live show.
Tasked with opening the night, fellow Chicago outfit Rezn played tracks from their latest album Burden, including Instinct, which they opened with, and the powerful Chasm, alongside some of their earlier work.
Their sound, blending heavy riffs close to doom or stoner with a fairly melodic voice, atmospheric textures and the occasional exotic touch of saxophone, went down well with a crowd that nearly filled the Avinguda Carrilet venue.
REZN
The main event, of course, was Chicago’s own Russian Cicles, who made it clear from the start that, despite this being the last night of the tour, they’d come to give it everything. Dave Turncrantz on drums started laying down the wood from the very first moment, and together with Mike Sullivan’s masterful guitar work and the wall of sound from bassist Sam Cook they had more than a few necks warmed up from the get-go.
309, from their album Empros, opened the show, and when the drum rhythm of Harper Lewis kicked in at the start of the second track, we knew there’d be no letting up. They followed with Conduit from Gnosis and continued with three songs from earlier albums — Quartered, Mota and Geneva — before returning to their latest record with Betrayal and the title track, Gnosis, my favourite on the album.
To close, a classic like Youngblood and the tremendous (in the best sense) Mlàdek wrapped up the set from a band that, however much you enjoy them on record, will win you over live.
Perhaps Russian Circles don’t surprise those of us who’ve already seen them several times, nor do they need to, but anyone who happened to wander in without knowing exactly what they were about to see would surely have been floored by the band’s tremendously powerful live show.