Russian Circles and Pelican, the opening act, have spent years perfecting their versions of heavy post-metal. It’s not for everyone, but for those with ears to hear rock without a singer, there’s tension, movement, and eventual release. And, both of these Chicago bands sound so much better live where they can be heard at a “proper” volume.
Pelican opened with a set that moved between muscular riffs, hypnotic repetition and atmospheric restraint. The quartet has spent more than two decades exploring instrumental post-metal, where the riffs are the foundation, not the entire structure. They build, circle back and gradually change shape, allowing a song to develop its own momentum.
Drawing from across its catalog, Pelican demonstrated its knack for balancing heaviness with space. Riffs settle into grooves, dynamics shift gradually, and the heavier passages feel welcome because the band gives them room to develop. There is also a looseness to its sound that gives the music room to breathe, and their shifting directions reward patience.
The band is touring their 2025 release, Flickering Resonance, and kicked off their set with two great songs from the album. They also surprised with another song, “Ascending,” from a new EP. Both releases are a welcome continuity to their recorded work, especially considering Trevor de Brauw’s admission that the band does not tour regularly. Although their last Atlanta appearance was in 2013, I don’t think the long gap was what sent fans to the merch line immediately after their set and again at the end of the evening.
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Russian Circles took a more forceful approach to the same basic idea. Touring behind Nine, its ninth studio album, the trio brought a set built around the contrast between tightly controlled passages and crushing bursts of sound. The new record leans particularly hard into the band’s metal and hardcore influences, and that emphasis translated to the stage.
For a band with only three members, the sheer scale of their sounds is remarkable.
Mike Sullivan’s guitar work supplies the melodic fragments and jagged riffs, while Brian Cook’s bass adds an enormous low end that gives those figures their physical weight. Dave Turncrantz anchors everything behind the kit, moving between intricate patterns and pounding rhythms.
Where Pelican often allows a riff to unfold and settle into a groove, Russian Circles seems more interested in what happens when that groove is put under pressure. Melodic ideas emerge from the distortion, briefly offer a sense of direction, then disappear beneath another wave of sound. The quieter sections are less about atmosphere than setting up the next eruption.
The new material from Nine fits this approach well. The album is among the band’s heavier and more riff driven releases, while retaining the melodic and atmospheric details that keep the music from becoming a simple exercise in volume. The arrangements make the sheer weight of the music compelling, balancing intricate composition with moments that threaten to overwhelm.
Russian Circles offered no stage banter or introductions, letting the music speak for itself. The minimalist lighting finally became more active during “Gnosis.” That should have been a clue that the performance was ending. There was no “thank you,” just waves from the band as the house lights came up.
Overall, this was a perfect pairing of bands, both worthy of demanding attention and then paying off, a contrast between grooves vs. precision and force.
And, yes, fans flocked to the Russian Circles merch line as well!
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