Russian Circles

Seattle noise rockers Helms Alee -- a band of "friends that write and play music together" -- will hit the road this November with Russian Circles and Young Widows. The three-piece, which features former Harkonen and These Arms Are Snakes member Ben Verellen, will be debuting some new songs from their unfinished sophomore album on the nine-date trek...

These Arms Are Snakes vocalist Steve Snere asked a bunch of New York fans Sept. 25, "You guys want to know why the Beatles broke up?" Here comes the punchline. "Because their f---ing boots broke," Snere said while throwing his hollowed-out leather shoe to the other side of the stage...

Any remnants of summer have come to pass as fall is in the air and the cold sets in. Nevertheless, the metal still forges on. This month, tons of new releases are coming in from familiar favorites such as Lita Ford, Powerman 5000 and Pearl Jam...

Instrumental bands tend to not do well with bands that employ a little vocalization, but Chicago's Russian Circles have not only done well -- they've gained a diverse fan base from playing with bands as varied as the Appleseed Cast, Coheed and Cambria and Coliseum...

Louisville, Ky. hardcore punk outfit Coliseum have announced a run of dates alongside Russian Circles and Young Widows. Kicking off on Oct. 28 in their home state with a stop at The Fest 8 in Gainesville, Fla. along the way, the tour cuilminates at Austin, Texas' Fun Fun Fun Fest and will be Coliseum's first trek with their new drummer Carter Wilson...

Russian Circles: It sounds like a name rooted in some kind of dark, dusty literary book, or some kind of inner circle swear word Ronald Reagan made up. But the name fits the Chicago instrumental band's now infamous style of breaking sonics layered onto each other...

I've always maintained that animals like metal. I remember years ago, when Opeth's 'Blackwater Park' first came out, my cat Dante would always fall asleep when I'd put it on, regardless of how loud the volume was -- Iced Earth, Strapping Young Lad, Theory in Practice and Dillinger Escape Plan also worked...