''Empros'' is the fourth studio album by American

post-metal Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal music, heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis (band), Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture (music), te ...

band

Russian Circles Russian Circles is an American instrumental post-metal band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was originally formed by childhood friends Mike Sullivan and Dave Turncrantz after their previous musical projects dissolved. After parting ways wit ...

. The album was released on October 25, 2011 through

Sargent House Sargent House is an American management company and record label based in Los Angeles. It was founded in June 2006 by Cathy Pellow, who is a music video commissioner for Atlantic Records and also owns a music video production company called Ref ...

. This is Russian Circles' first album released solely through Sargent House; for their first three albums, Sargent House released limited edition vinyl copies, while CD and digital copies were handled by either

Suicide Squeeze Records Suicide Squeeze Records is a Seattle, Washington-based independent record label that releases rock music, rock, pop music, pop, and metal music, metal music. Suicide Squeeze releases content on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital. The label has als ...

Flameshovel Records Flameshovel Records is a record label from Chicago, Illinois, formed in the summer of 2000. Founded by Jesse Woghin and long-time friend Nash Grey, the duo were later joined by James Kenler. Grey left for Philadelphia in 2003 to start grad school ...

Background

Russian Circles began writing ''Empros'' in January 2011. In April 2011, the group entered Phantom Manor studios in Chicago, Illinois with producer

Brandon Curtis Brandon Curtis is the vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist in the space rock band The Secret Machines. Originally from Norman, Oklahoma, he was friends with members of The Flaming Lips, The Chainsaw Kittens and Tripping Daisy. Brandon and his brothe ...

The Secret Machines Secret Machines are an American alternative rock band, originally from Dallas, Texas, United States, before moving to New York City. The original lineup consisted of two brothers, Brandon (vocals, bass guitar and keyboards) and Benjamin Curtis ...

and

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, who also previously produced the group's 2009 album ''

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''. Bassist Brian Cook described the band's mindset for creating ''Empros'' as trying to "make the same ebb and flow of our live set happen on the record, with more constructive dynamics and dramatic bridging between songs." The album was also described in a press release from Sargent House as being Russian Circles' heaviest album to date. On September 28, 2011 the song "Mládek" was made available for online streaming and free download. The title of the song was named after Tomáš Mládek, Russian Circles' European tour bus driver.

Critical reception

''Empros'' was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At

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, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an

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score of 86 based on 14 reviews. In particular, many writers noted how refined the band's sound had become in its evolution. In his review for

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, critic Christopher R. Weingarten wrote, "Though crunching at their heaviest, the band still shines brightest when they edge toward indie-rock approachability."

Accolade

Track listing

Note * On the digital version, "Batu" spans 10:06 with a drone transition.

Personnel

''Empros'' personnel adapted from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Russian Circles * Brian Cook − bass guitar, vocals on "Praise Be Man" * Mike Sullivan − guitar * Dave Turncrantz − drums Additional musicians * Phil Karnats − accordion, cello Production and recording *

− production, engineering, mixing * Joe Lambert − mastering * Mike Lust − engineering * Russian Circles − production Artwork and design * Sonny Kay − album layout * Dave Turncrantz − album photo

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2011 albums Russian Circles albums Sargent House albums