Russian Circles Nine
Released Aug 28, 2026 Sargent House
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Sep 11, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. Russian Circles's Nine arrives as a confident statement of craft, a record where riff-focused composition and pummelling grooves push the trio's palette toward both brute force and widescreen atmosphere.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Empath
3 critic mentions
“On “Empath,” the album’s second track, a series of death and thrash metal riffs bleed into each other” — Pitchfork
Seventh Seal
2 critic mentions
“By the time closer “Seventh Seal” opens with a salvo of bulldozing drums and thrash-sludge guitars” — Pitchfork
Eluvial
3 critic mentions
“Cook’s pulsating synths on mid-album highlights “Eluvial” and “E2” sound straight out of the ’70s prog era,” — Pitchfork
Full critic consensus
Russian Circles's Nine arrives as a confident statement of craft, a record where riff-focused composition and pummelling grooves push the trio's palette toward both brute force and widescreen atmosphere. Across professional reviews, critics point to songs like “Empath”, “Borehole”, “Eluvial” and the closing “Seventh Seal” as the collection's emotional and sonic anchors, balancing seismic climaxes with moments of textured restraint.
The critical consensus, distilled from three professional reviews and landing at an 82.33/100 score, credits the band with sharpening their heaviness without sacrificing subtlety. Reviewers consistently praise “Empath” for its death- and thrash-derived riffage and relentless coda, while “Borehole” is celebrated for its galloping, punk-tinged beat. “Eluvial” emerges as the album's expansive centerpiece, its synth-laced passages and slow-build grandeur cited across reviews. Critics note recurring themes of textural contrast, electronic textures woven into hardcore-influenced frameworks, and grandiose buildups that reward repeated listens.
While most coverage frames Nine as refinement rather than reinvention, voices diverge on emphasis: some reviews highlight the record's direct power and pummelling grooves, others dwell on its atmospheric breathing spaces and precision. That balance of melody and intensity is the album's chief strength, suggesting that for fans wondering "is Nine good" the answer is affirmative—an assured, evolved entry in a long career. Below, detailed reviews unpack how these standout tracks and thematic tensions shape Russian Circles' most commanding work in years.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Borehole
Empath
Eluvial
E2
Meridian
Arletta
Seventh Seal
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Di
Critic's Take
Russian Circles return with Nine, a record that stretches their vast soundscapes and cements why the best songs on Nine matter. The brooding “Borehole” opens with a probing groove that burrows in, while the direct heaviness of “Empath” and the Blade Runner-evoking “Eluvial” push the album to its sonic plateaus. The band balance seismic climaxes with quieter moments - “Arletta” offers a sublime reprieve before the punishing finale “Seventh Seal” leaves you wanting more.
Key Points
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The best song is the punishing closer “Seventh Seal” for its primal groove and status as one of the band’s heaviest pieces.
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The album’s core strengths are its vast soundscapes, balance of electronic textures and heaviness, and sustained dramatic build.
Themes
Critic's Take
Russian Circles return with Nine, an album that keeps their shapeshifting tendencies but leans into more straightforward power. The opener “Borehole” gets down to brass tacks and delivers the pummelling grooves fans crave. The singles “Empath” and “Eluvial” lay the cards on the table - “Empath” is ominous and dense, while “Eluvial” builds to a grandiose eight-minute conclusion that enthralls. Overall, Nine is another assured chapter from a band that refuses to be pigeonholed.
Key Points
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Eluvial is best for its stately, eight-minute build that reaches a grandiose conclusion.
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The album's core strengths are exploratory builds resolving into pummelling, irresistible grooves.
Themes
Critic's Take
Russian Circles lean into pure riffcraft on Nine, and the review makes clear the best tracks land hard and fast. The author praises “Empath” as a showpiece of death- and thrash-derived riffage that culminates in a chugged coda, while “Borehole” is highlighted for its galloping punk beat. Mid-album moments like “Eluvial” and “E2” are noted as textured breathing spaces with Cook’s pulsating synths, and “Arletta” is called a classical-guitar reprieve before the punishing closer. This framing answers searches for the best songs on Nine by pointing to “Empath”, “Borehole”, and the synth-forward pair as the album’s standout moments.
Key Points
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“Empath” is the best song for its relentless death- and thrash-derived riffing and chugged coda.
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The album’s core strength is its riff-forward heaviness balanced by synth and classical-guitar contrasts.
Themes
Critic's Take
Russian Circles’s Nine is not about reinvention so much as refinement, and the best songs on Nine - especially “Borehole” and “Empath” - showcase that hardened craft. The review’s voice privileges tone and detail, praising how “Borehole” opens with traditional rock formatting while “Empath” turns up the intensity for breakneck bruising. “Eluvial” is noted as a stirring opus, and the closer “Seventh Seal” brings a searing, slow-burn conclusion that cements the album’s strengths. Overall the strongest tracks are those that balance melodic verve with muscular climaxes, which is precisely what makes the best tracks on Nine stand out.
Key Points
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“Borehole” is the best track for marrying traditional rock structures with heavy, pristine guitar work.
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The album’s core strength is its refinement of a signature sound that balances melody, heaviness, and precise production.