Empires (VNV Nation album)

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Empires
EmpiresAlbumArt400px.jpg
Studio album by
VNV Nation
Released25 October 1999 (EU)
16 May 2000 (US)
RecordedAugust–September 1999
StudioPolaris Studios, Hoxton, London
Genre Futurepop, electro-industrial
Length50:58
Label Dependent/Metropolis
VNV Nation chronology
Praise the Fallen
(1998)		Empires
(1999)		 Futureperfect
(2002)
Singles from Empires
  1. "Darkangel"
    Released: 28 June 1999
  2. "Standing"
    Released: 3 April 2000
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Almost Cool(7.5/10) [2]
Metal.deStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Release Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Empires is the third studio album by the alternative electronic band VNV Nation. It was released in 1999 in the EU and 2000 in the United States jointly under the Metropolis and Dependent labels. The album combines trance, synthpop, and electronic body music (EBM).

Contents

"Darkangel" was released as a single on 28 June prior to the album, and "Standing" became a single, and was also released as part of the Burning Empires EP in 2000.

The album was ranked #1 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC) 1999 albums chart, [5] while "Darkangel" ranked #15 on the DAC Singles chart that same year. [6] The U.S. release of Empires peaked at #6 on the CMJ RPM Charts. [7]

Background and composition

In a retrospective on the band's website, Ronan Harris has described the creation of the album as "unforgettable" and "intense"; [8] as he was still only doing music in his spare time, he would spend time in the studio after work hours and on weekends. [8] He also described the experience as "deeply emotional": [8]

"Empires" was written at a time in my life when events of the previous years had left me feeling lost and lacking direction. It was an artificial light to guide me. When I say to someone that this album was my salvation, I don't mean that lightly. The track Arclight gets its symbolic title from the first use of electricity in lighthouses, where carbon arc lighting created the most intensely bright artificial light yet seen. [8]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Firstlight"2:10
2."Kingdom"5:51
3."Rubicon"6:20
4."Saviour"6:59
5."Fragments"5:02
6."Distant (Rubicon II)"3:15
7."Standing"5:40
8."Legion"5:11
9."Darkangel"5:28
10."Arclight"5:00

Equipment

The following equipment was used to compose and produce the album: [8]

References

  1. ↑ "Empires - VNV Nation | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "VNV Nation – Empires – almost cool music review". Almostcool.org. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  3. ↑ Sagt, fenris. "VNV Nation - Empires Review • metal.de". Metal.de. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "VNV Nation: Empires – Release On Line review". Releasemagazine.net. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "DAC Top 50 Albums 1999". Trendcharts oHG. AMC Alster Musik Consulting GmbH. 2000. Archived from the original on 18 April 2001. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "DAC Top 50 Singles 1999". Trendcharts oHG. AMC Alster Musik Consulting GmbH. 2000. Archived from the original on 10 February 2001. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  7. ↑ Comer, M. Tye (7 August 2000). "RPM" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report . 63 (677). New York, NY: College Media, Inc.: 39. ISSN   0890-0795 . Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Empires - Releases | VNV NATION". vnvnation.com.
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