Empros

Dark and Heavy. I was really impressed with this album. I haven't been into the post rock or post metal sound for very long however, I have loved music my hole life and come from a family of musicians.RC really put a lot of creativeness into this album. Like I said it is dark and heavy. I am not very poetic but, I would say that it reminds me of a rainy day in Seattle and towards the end of the day (track) the rain stops and the sunshine makes its way from the clouds.

These guys are hands-down my favorite musicians currently recording. This album is a perfect evolution, and they get better all the time. It is a bit less technical than the earliest stuff, has a bit more standard chorus / verse format, and consistently rocks a bit harder. All good things to me. Harder grooves. Leans more toward Pelican in that sense. But all the twists, drama, and surprise that only Russian Circles can pull out. Amazing all the way through!

While still keeping true to and incorporating their trademark post-rock sound, this new album infuses a new twist with some post-metal elements as well -- meaning some pretty epic buildups to heavier moments. All in all, this is another solid Russian Circles release. I'm a bit biased though, if you are new to Russian Circles, check out Geneva or Station first (those albums were my first exposure to the band), but I still love this one! Buy it!

GENEVA, the Russian Circles album from 2009, was a classic. EMPROS starts heavier, as many have noted, but it's not quite as good as GENEVA. Heavier is not the same as better! The first two tracks are very powerful, and the second track, "Mladek," starts out at an exhilarating pace and ends with a great triumphant chord progression -- it would make great music for a soundtrack, at the point when the hero finally saves the world!The last track, "Praise Be Man," adds vocals for the first time, and does not fit at all. It's a cheerful, major key song using the archaic pre-feminist "man" for "human beings." (Or at least I assume that's what is meant, and not "praise man" as opposed to "praise woman"!) Given the determination of humans, or at least the fossil fuel industry, to destroy the planet's climate, I'm quite sure the other species will not be joining in a sing-along...As before, there is a combination of metal and progressive elements in the band's writing, confounding the label "post-metal." Ultimately labels shouldn't matter, though in reality they can play a crucial role in marketing, image creation, and bandwagon effects.Russian Circles has established by now that they are a superb instrumental rock band, regardless of the label. Since Isis has disbanded, they are one of the best bands carrying on the movement that Isis helped create.

Huge RC fan, and they just keep getting better. I saw them perform live a few months ago, and it was mostly from this album. I could only stand there in awe. The album can't compare with the live show of course, but it's still amazing. I'm even getting my dad, a die-hard classic rock guy, into Russian Circles. I would've gladly paid twice as much for this.

One of the best Post metal band, and i think that this album is their best record. I god Lp and it's amazing !Russian circles Rocks !!!

Can't go past Schiphol as the best track but I always find myself lost in my thoughts with the very reflective Praise be Man.

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