“Thankfully we got to spend a lot time in Melbourne and see different parts of it. That was a lot of fun,” he reflects on their previous tour. “A lot of cities, we just get in, play a show and get out and we don’t have a whole lot of time to really get a feel for the scene. So that was cool because it seemed like the cultural capitol.”
Although their last tour was nothing more than a fleeting visit, this time around the band will have a little more time to soak up the atmosphere. “Yeah we’re looking forward to it,” Sullivan affirms. “We have more time to relax and enjoy the country and see places we haven’t seen before. The past few times we’re all just working, it was pretty hectic. But this time should be a little more laid back than the past so yeah we’re excited about it.”
The band’s latest effort Memorial has been hailed by critics far and wide as not only being a defining release for the band themselves, but a defining release for the entire heavy, instrumental scene. Comparisons to heavyweights such as Isis and Neurosis have come in thick and fast and Sullivan agrees that it is by far the closest the band have come to perfecting their sound.
“To date, I think it’s definitely the most accurate we’ve come of trying to achieve a certain sound on a record,” he affirms. “Each time it’s a little bit of a different headspace for each record and a different writing process which affects the sound of the record. [But] I think this record just reflects where we are now. This one felt really good. You never fully nail it every time; you know there’s always room for improvement in every part of every album, but this one felt as close as we’ve come so far.”
It’s evident when speaking with Sullivan that Russian Circles are a band that think long and hard about not only what sort of album they want to make, but how to push and explore new sounds and create new textures when they’re in the studio. “We just really made sure that nothing was omitted and that nothing was crowding the mix. We spent a lot of time thinking about what the album needed and what it didn’t need. We’re happy with the way it turned out.”
With Memorial, Russian Circles have not only covered new ground within the writing process but have also incorporated instruments such as strings, synths and vocals to add new depth to the songs. Sullivan admits that these were not pre-meditated decisions but something that happened rather organically, once the band were in the studio.
“As the songs came through and they all started to fully take their shape, we could definitely hear room for strings,” he says. “This time we made sure to not let the strings be too important in the mix. I’d say if we were to take them out, it wouldn’t be crucial to the song. So it was a balance of having the strings, but not letting them dominate.”
Russian Circles are a band known for their intensity. This is most evident during their live show. Somehow with Memorial, the band has constructed a collection of songs which seem to have an intensity unmatched previously. The guitarist agrees that this has become apparent on their recent run of shows.
“We’re in the middle of a tour now and playing some of the new songs that are more aggressive, the louder parts; you really can’t escape [the intensity]. You can feel the energy in the crowd and you feel aggression, yes, but it feels that there’s anger in there, not towards anybody but just like in the music.”
For anyone who has witnessed the band live before, the one thing that is most notable, other than the intensity, is their loudness. With only one guitar, a bass and drums, Russian Circles manage to create a wall of sound that would be the envy of most.
“I wouldn’t say we’ve mastered it. We’re still learning tricks to make things sound full but without sounding muddy, to make sure we’re not stepping on each other’s toes and that it sounds cohesive and we’re working together,” says Sullivan on the band’s live sound. “We’re constantly looking for different ways to approach the songs. I’d say we’re more confident with the gear now because we know what it can and can’t do and what we’re strong at and what we’re not so strong at.”
Sullivan is adamant that although the band’s sound has developed and come a long way since their beginnings, they haven’t mastered things just yet. “We’re still definitely learning from bands that we see do it all over the board. Like different approaches that sound cool. There are so many different ways that you can approach it so I feel like we’re nearly there but I wouldn’t say we’ve mastered anything yet.”
BY JAMES NICOLI
