Empros

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]

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)

Background

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

Professional ratings

Aggregate 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

Year	Publication	Country	Accolade	Rank
2011	Obscure Sound	United States	"Best Albums of 2011"	30	^[19]

Track listing

Empros track listing

No.	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

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

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

1. Jahdi, Robin (24 June 2015). "The 40 best post-metal records ever made". Fact. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
2. Yancey, Bryne (August 18, 2011). "Russian Circles detail 'Empros'". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
3. . Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. April 1, 2011. Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
4. Harris, Chris (April 1, 2011). . Gun Shy Assassin. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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. "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). . CraveOnline. Atomic Online. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
12. Brown, Michael (November 16, 2011). . 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. Weingarten, Christopher R. "Review: Empros". Spin. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
19. "Best Albums of 2011: #30 to #21". Obscure Sound. Obscure Sound. 8 December 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.