Empros

2011 studio album by Russian Circles

Empros

Studio album by

Russian Circles

Released| October 25, 2011 (2011-10-25)
Recorded| April 2011 at Phantom Manor in Chicago, Illinois
Genre| Post-metal[1]
Length| 41:05
Label| Sargent House
Producer| Brandon Curtis
Russian Circles chronology
| Geneva
(2009)  | Empros
(2011)  | Memorial
(2013)

|
|

Empros is the fourth studio album by American post-metal band Russian Circles. The album was released on October 25, 2011 through Sargent House.[2] 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 or Flameshovel Records.[3][4]

## Background

[edit]

Russian Circles began writing Empros in January 2011.[5] In April 2011, the group entered Phantom Manor studios in Chicago, Illinois with producer Brandon Curtis of The Secret Machines and Interpol, who also previously produced the group's 2009 album Geneva. 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."[3][4] The album was also described in a press release from Sargent House as being Russian Circles' heaviest album to date.[6]

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.[7]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| 86/100[8]
Review scores
Source| Rating
Allmusic| [9]
The A.V. Club| A−[10]
CraveOnline| 10/10[11]
Drowned in Sound| 8/10[12]
MusicOMH| [13]
Pitchfork| 7.7/10[14]
PopMatters| 9/10[15]
Rock Sound| 9/10[16]
The Skinny| [17]
Spin| 7/10[18]

Empros was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 86 based on 14 reviews.[8] In particular, many writers noted how refined the band's sound had become in its evolution. In his review for Spin, critic Christopher R. Weingarten wrote, "Though crunching at their heaviest, the band still shines brightest when they edge toward indie-rock approachability."[18]

### Accolade

[edit]

Year  | Publication  | Country  | Accolade  | Rank  |

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|
|
|
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2011 | Obscure Sound | United States | "Best Albums of 2011" | 30 | [19]

## Track listing

[edit]

Empros track listingNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "309"| 8:50
2.| "Mládek"| 7:40
3.| "Schiphol"| 6:16
4.| "Atackla"| 7:27
5.| "Batu"| 6:17
6.| "Praise Be Man"| 4:27
Total length:| 41:05

Note

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

## Personnel

[edit]

Empros personnel adapted from Allmusic.[20]

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

* Brandon Curtis − production, engineering, mixing
* Joe Lambert − mastering
* Mike Lust − engineering
* Russian Circles − production

Artwork and design

* Sonny Kay − album layout
* Dave Turncrantz − album photo

|
|
|

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (2011)  | Peak
position

|

US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[21] | 18
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22] | 8
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[23] | 9

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Jahdi, Robin (June 24, 2015). "The 40 best post-metal records ever made". Fact. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
2. ^ Yancey, Bryne (August 18, 2011). "Russian Circles detail 'Empros'". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
3. ^ a b "Russian Circles Begins Recording New Album". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. April 1, 2011. Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
4. ^ a b Harris, Chris (April 1, 2011). "Russian Circles Working On New Album". Gun Shy Assassin. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
5. ^ Tsai, Matthew (January 13, 2011). "Russian Circles Writing". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
6. ^ "Russian Circles album set for release". LambGoat. August 18, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
7. ^ Sundermann, Eric (September 28, 2011). "Exclusive Download: Russian Circles Premiere Dramatic Track 'Mladek'". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
8. ^ a b "Empros Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
9. ^ Heaney, Gregory. "Empros - Russian Circles : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
10. ^ Heller, Jason (January 11, 2011). "The A.V. Club Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
11. ^ Robinson, Iann (October 11, 2011). "Review: Empros". CraveOnline. Atomic Online. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
12. ^ Brown, Michael (November 16, 2011). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
13. ^ Shepherd, Sam (November 14, 2011). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
14. ^ Thompson, Paul (November 11, 2011). "Review: Empros". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
15. ^ Ezell, Brice (November 1, 2011). "PopMatters Review". PopMatters. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
16. ^ Taylor, Darren (October 28, 2011). "Chicago post-rock heroes return with stellar fourth album..." Rock Sound. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
17. ^ Cusack, Chris (November 1, 2011). "The Skinny Review". The Skinny. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
18. ^ a b Weingarten, Christopher R. "Review: Empros". Spin. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
19. ^ "Best Albums of 2011: #30 to #21". Obscure Sound. Obscure Sound. December 8, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
20. ^ Heaney, Gregory. "Empros – Credits". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
21. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
22. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
23. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.

* v
* t
* e

Russian Circles

* Mike Sullivan
* Dave Turncrantz
* Brian Cook

* Colin DeKuiper

Studio albums|

* Enter (2006)
* Station (2008)
* Geneva (2009)
* Empros (2011)
* Memorial (2013)
* Guidance (2016)
* Blood Year (2019)
* Gnosis (2022)

Live albums|

* Live at Dunk! Fest (2017)

Singles|

* "Upper Ninety"

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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