Russian Circles’ St. Louis Concert Engulfs Avid Fans

— by Carrie Zukoski

Touring to support their ninth album, Nine, Russian Circles saturated fans with their all-instrumental post metal/atmospheric sludge during their hour-plus set in St. Louis on Nov. 4 at Delmar Hall.

Two-thirds of the trio, guitarist Mike Sullivan and drummer Dave Turncrantz, grew up in St. Louis, making this night a bit of a homecoming for the Chicago-based band that has truly carved out a niche for themselves.

Denver’s doom metal trio Primitive Man helped kick off the second leg of this fall tour on this cool autumn night. Their 45-minute set is designed to stimulate fans’ visual and auditory experience. The band blasted the growing crowd with the harsh, guttural growls of Ethan Lee McCarthy and the slow, monsters-crawling-out-of-the-depths-of-hell distortion while psychedelic colors glitched and flickered across and over the band members, and disorienting visuals often displayed on the backdrop throughout their set. Their long songs entranced fans who come away with words such as supremely brutal, oppressive, heavy, and absolutely crushing. And they’d see them live all over again in a heartbeat.

In contrast, headliner Russian Circles relied on simpler lighting, often backlit and more ethereal, to help transmit their transcendent, driving sound. With tribal-influenced drums, a guitar, a (distorted) bass, and sometimes synths, the trio carries listeners to a new plane of existence with their harmonized, hypnotic swirls of loops that ebb and flow. Their songs pulsate, coming from the depths to gently crash around you, soaking you to your core and carrying you out to sea. But you don’t panic; you don’t drown. You let the buoyant waves carry you further and further. The gorgeous heaviness of the songs, such as “E2” and “Gnosis” immerses you in their voiceless stories.

As of this writing, Russian Circles touring with Primitive Man still have 12 shows left, and it’s worth every penny to see them both in concert.

See all photos here: https://bit.ly/RussianCircles26cz

Russian Circles setlist https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/russian-circles/2026/delmar-hall-st-louis-mo-5b7207cc.html