2012.08.27 Russian Circles - Empros

Color: Black

Released: 2011, October 25

Label: Sargent House

Enter is stil my favorite thing this band has ever done. But on Empros, the band have surely come a long way and released what is probably my second favorite thing from them. This probably has the most teeth and yet feels like their most mature work at the same time. “Mladek” is a compelling track that starts out kinda pretty but after a few subtle shifts, transforms into a take-no-prisoners stomper. A recent live set from the band proved that this material is indeed a high point in their career and a powerful work. The packaging of the album is fairly simple but features a few nice touches. One such fine detail is the hit of spot varnish that spells out the album on the printed inner sleeve of the record. If you can imagine with me for a minute… the front cover of the album is a perfect visual expression of what the band’s music sound like - a bright light bursting from among a deep forest of sound.