Closure In Moscow

When people think of environments that foster America's best music imports, they usually think of the UK or perhaps Canada. They most certainly don't think of Australia as a breeding ground for transcendent musical talent, but a closer look reveals that the opposite is indeed true. From the Living End to Kylie Minogue, and INXS to AC/DC, the land down under has actually given America some of its most notable and influential musical acts of the past few decades. And now, with Australia's music scene finding renewed strength and momentum, Melbourne's Closure in Moscow seem poised to be the next big band to make the jump from the Outback to the Great Plains.

Getting their start in 2006, Closure in Moscow - vocalist Christopher DeCinque, guitarists Michael Barrett and Mansur Zennelli, bassist Brad Kimber, and drummer Beau McKee - banded together as high school friends, and in their relatively short time together, have quickly outgrown their youthful origin. After sharing the stage with bands of increasing cachet, the band signed to Taperjean Records in Australia (Copeland, Limbeck, As Tall As Lions), and released their debut EP, The Penance and the Patience shortly thereafter. Recorded with producer Kris Crummett (Kaddisfly, Fear Before the March of Flames, The Devil Wears Prada), the work lived up to its dubbing as an "albumette," proving to be an epic and comprehensive twenty-five minutes of artistic expression. Alternating between explosive, progressive rock anthems and deep, hypnotic compositions, the group's entry onto the scene was well timed, executed, and received, garnering fan and critical acclaim alike, and paved the way for the next step in the band's meteoric rise.

In order to make a full-fledged career out of their music, the guys in Closure knew that a move to the United States was inevitable and necessary. After an initial deal with an American label fell through, the group signed to Equal Vision Records in November of 2008. The placement pleased both everyone at the label, and in the band, with frontman DeCinque declaring, "We'd known EVR as a label with a great reputation and prestigious roster of bands, so we know it's going be a sweet relationship between us." The band has since made the physical move to the states, and once again teamed up with Crummett on their new record, which seemed all but pre-destined. "There was no decision involved…it was always going to be Kris again. Musically he is on the same page as us, which really helps and makes things exciting," says Kimber. The band/producer team put that synergy to work, and came out with the troupe's debut LP, which has since been christened First Temple.

As most music fans reluctantly acknowledge, harder progressive rock groups tend to lose either their edge or experimental spirit as they develop their popularity, but fans of Closure in Moscow need not fret, as First Temple takes everything that made the group's EP so compelling, and fleshes it out with impressive bombast and ambition. Going into the studio with a laser-sharp focus, the group "walked in with 12 songs, came out with 12 songs," remarks Barrett, and the end result of the band's labor reflects this "all killer, no filler" attitude. Adding trumpets, piano, pedal steel, double bass, and bongos to the mix on the offering, the work embodies the bold sense of artistry that has propelled acts like The Mars Volta and Coheed and Cambria to international fame. At once wildly inventive yet immediately accessible, First Temple is sure to both retain and recruit fans. From the frenetic energy of "Kissing Cousins" to the Asian-inspired guitar riff and infectious hook of "Sweet#hart," and the propulsive energy of "A Night at the Spleen" to the brooding atmospherics of "I'm a Ghost of Twilight," it is remarkably evident this Australian quintet have succeeded in their goal of having no two songs sounding alike.

Following CIM's barn-burning sets at 2009's SXSW in Austin, Texas, the band is now ready to set the rest of the country on fire with the release of First Temple on May 5th, and subsequent performances at this year's Bamboozle and Bamboozle Left festivals. Beyond that, Closure in Moscow has "some big plans in the works for the future, but mainly will be touring the U.S constantly for the foreseeable future," according to Kimber.

Be sure to catch Closure in Moscow while you can, because after conquering Australia, and with a killer debut album like First Temple, America can't be far behind.