Russian Circles are one of the few dark instrumental bands that have risen out of obscurity into the indie limelight. The recent release of Empros, their proper Sargent House debut, is only going to bring them more notoriety. Despite being only six tracks long, the songs on this album clock in at an average length of six to seven minutes and each packs quite the punch. “Mladek” is one of my favorites cuts off Empros, showcasing the balance between bright hopeful melodies and ominous metal riffs that Russian Circles seems to strike so well. It’s a long but good one — check it out below. Empros is out now on Sargent House.

MP3: Russian Circles – “Mladek”

Mastodon’s videos have ranged from the deadly serious to the outrageously ridiculous. Either way, they tend to be awesome. Watch “Oblivion” and “Divinations” — you’ll see what I mean. Their latest video is for “Curl of the Burl,” the first single off their upcoming album, The Hunter. The Atlanta metal behemoths chose to go down the hilarious route with this one. Watch above as some forest-dwelling yokel goes a bit heavy on some natural hallucinogenics. No surprise: it’s NSFW.

STREAM: Mastodon – “Curl Of The Burl”

So Adult Swim has kind of been killing it in the music department lately. You may remember our recent post on Maserati’s “Pyramid Of The Sun” — that video exists thanks to them. They’ve also premiered a new Best Coast track and video, “Gone Again,” as part of their Adult Swim Singles Program. The latest to come from this series is another audiovisual bundle for a band I’ve been anxious to hear new material from: Mastodon. “Deathbound” will not be on the Atlanta metal behemoths’ upcoming album, The Hunter. Rather, it’s a B-side of sorts that emerged from the recording sessions for their last full-length, Crack The Skye. The track’s a fast, brutal number showing Mastodon at their best. You could say the accompanying video is epic, although not in an operatic “Oblivion” sort of way. I’m thinking more along the lines of Mr. Rogers meets a bad Jim Henson acid trip. See for yourself above. The Hunter will be out this fall on Reprise.

MP3: Mastodon – “Deathbound”