Russian Circles

 “Death Rides a Horse” by Russian Circles, from Enter (Flameshovel Records):

It's no small feat that this instrumental trio from Chicago works the spaces between indie rock and metal with enough individuality so that both sound fresh. Russian Circles describes its sound as "epic" yet its music is remarkably unpretentious. Midway between busy freakouts that recall Tera Melos and brooding, Isis-like atmospherics, Russian Circles skips back and forth between clean guitars and metal riffs without the pretense or overbearing seriousness that plagues 90 percent of its peers. And the band has a "lead" drummer with the good taste not to cram the fills down your throat.