The fourth album for Chicago post-rock instrumentalists Russian Circles is a metalgazing journey through peaks of bedlam and gorgeous atmospheric plummets. Drummer Dave Turncrantz’s iron-stick drum hits replete with cataclysmic aftershocks that anchor the chugging guitar mayhem and jabs of sordid black-metal heaviness (Mladek). Schiphol’s beautiful and blurry opening is like the score for post-apocalyptic strolls through falling ash and utter annihilation, climaxing and then slithering into Atackla’s ambient brood. Elsewhere, Praise Be Man is a stark contrast from the preceding chaos, weathering the storm with bassist Brian Cook’s fuzzy vocals and a blanket of drones and dreamy folk, which may seem misplaced, but oddly enough seems to fit with Empros’ undulating story arc

(Source: uptownmag.com)