Violent Waves, the fourth studio album from hard-hitting emo rockers
Circa Survive, represents the Philadelphia-based outfit's first completely independent release. Produced by the band and recorded in the space of a single week in order to capture a more natural live sound, the 11-track collection, which as usual features artwork from American surrealist painter Esao Andrews, retains the sharp metallic sheen of 2010's well-received
Blue Sky Noise, while simultaneously returning to the atmospheric, emotionally charged progressive metal and post-hardcore tendencies that brought listeners into the fold upon the release of their electrifying 2005 debut,
Juturna. [In 2014 the band (via new label Sumerian) reissued
Violent Waves in a Deluxe Edition that paired the original album with a live 19-song concert DVD that was recorded the previous year at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.] ~ James Christopher Monger