Russian Circles Geneva

• Fathom
• Geneva
• Melee
• Hexed all
• Malko
• When the Mountain Comes to Muhammad
• Philos

Geneva, the third LP for Suicide Squeeze from Chicago-based metal/post-rock trio Russian Circles, expands the band's sound by adding well-placed string arrangements courtesy of cellist Allison Chesley and violinist Susan Voelz. The strings add depth to the band's usual guitar/bass/drums combo, filling out what has become Russian Circles' hallmark sound -- repetition of a guitar and bass figure that slowly builds and undulates, adding layers of sound until the song erupts into (mostly) thrilling climax. As with their to previous LPs, Geneva does not feature vocals, save an evocative audio sample featured on "When the Mountain Comes to Mohammed." The band, known for their equal parts professional and pummeling live show, did a bit of tinkering with experimentation for Geneva, a signal that perhaps Russian Circles are maturing as a unit. In September guitarist Mike Sullivan told IndiePit about the studio process, asserting, "It’s a total struggle on both ends, ’cause we like to say to ourselves, ‘We’re a three-piece rock band, let’s not overindulge anything.' But on the other side... It’s fun to explore.” Geneva drops Oct. 20.

Abstract by Dave McCoubrey