Photo courtesy of @KEXP by @Nataworryphotography
Russian Circles are giving us one final taste of what’s to come before the arrival of their ninth studio album, Nine, this Friday, August 28, via Sargent House.
The Chicago instrumental trio of Mike Sullivan, Dave Turncrantz and Brian Cook has released a new single, “Seventh Seal,” accompanied by a new video. The track serves as the closing song on Nine, following previously released singles “Empath” and “Eluvial.”
More than two decades into their career, Russian Circles have become masters of creating enormous amounts of tension, atmosphere and emotion without needing a vocalist to tell you how you’re supposed to feel. “Seventh Seal” continues that tradition, bringing together the heaviness and cinematic scale that have made the trio one of instrumental rock and post-metal’s most distinctive acts.
The new track also arrives at the end of an album that finds Russian Circles continuing to push at the boundaries of a sound they’ve spent decades refining. Nine opens with “Borehole” before tearing into the much more aggressive “Empath.” From there, the seven-track record moves through the sprawling “Eluvial,” “E2,” “Meridian” and “Arletta” before “Seventh Seal” brings everything to a close.
Nine was engineered and mixed by Kurt Ballou and recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago and God City in Salem, Massachusetts, in March 2026. “Arletta” was separately recorded by Dave Catching at Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, while Alan Douches handled mastering.
For a band that recently crossed the 20-year mark, Nine isn't being positioned as some dramatic reinvention of Russian Circles. Instead, it represents the continued evolution of three musicians who have spent years figuring out exactly how far they can stretch the boundaries of instrumental heavy music without losing the identity they built along the way.
And they'll be taking all of that heaviness back on the road this fall.
Russian Circles will embark on a North American headlining tour beginning in September, with Pelican supporting the first leg from September 25 through October 13 and Primitive Man joining the second leg from November 4 through November 21.
Russian Circles Tour Dates
Fri. Sept. 25 - Whitefish Bay, WI @ The Argo
Sat. Sept. 26 - Chicago, IL @ Bohemian National Cemetery
Mon. Sept. 28 - Detroit, MI @ El Club
Tue. Sept. 29 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
Wed. Sept. 30 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
Thu. Oct. 1 - Boston, MA @ Royale
Sat. Oct. 3 - Queens, NY @ Knockdown Center
Sun. Oct. 4 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Mon. Oct. 5 - Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage
Wed. Oct. 7 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
Thu. Oct. 8 - Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm
Fri. Oct. 9 - Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theater
Sat. Oct. 10 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Mon. Oct. 12 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
Tue. Oct. 13 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi
Wed. Nov. 4 - St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall $
Fri. Nov. 6 - Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves $
Sat. Nov. 7 - Austin, TX @ The Far Out Lounge $
Mon. Nov. 9 - Phoenix, AZ @ Walter Studios $
Wed. Nov. 11 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco $
Thu. Nov. 12 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall $
Sat. Nov. 14 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom $
Sun. Nov. 15 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox $
Mon. Nov. 16 - Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall $
Tue. Nov. 17 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall $
Thu. Nov. 19 - Englewood, CO @ The Gothic Theatre $
Fri. Nov. 20 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown $
Sat. Nov. 21 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater $
w/ Pelican $ w/ Primitive Man
