Style: Modern classical (cello), progressive metal, post-rock, experimental sound design (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Apocalyptica, Johann Sebastian Bach, Leprous, Myrath, Max Richter, Hania Rani
Country: Canada
Release date: 11 September 2026

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Chris: “When I reviewed Raphael Weinroth-Browne‘s previous album, Lifeblood, just eleven months ago, I made a gag about him not being able to afford a shirt—at least, the promo photos made it seem that way. Well, having seen the promotional material for his new album, Empyrean, and knowing that he’s done pretty well for himself over the last year, I’m forced to conclude that The Barechested Cellist is actually doing this on purpose. I think it’s time we talk about sexualisation in our scene. It’s sad that a talented performer must pimp himself out this way. I mean, sure, he’s got the flaxen locks of a Viking god, and you can only imagine the sheer bliss of nestling your face in that tangle of manly pectoral thatch as the tight muscles of his chest undulate rhythmically with the reassuring pace of his breath. He strokes your face and kisses away your tears and you know in the very pit of your being that, for the first time ever, you are truly safe…”

Chris? Buddy? You going to finish the review?

…Ok, as Chris drifts off into whatever disturbing reverie that was, allow me, Noor, to guide you through Empyrean. As both a classical violinist and a prog fanatic, it’s easy for me to fall in love with a sound that marries the two musical spheres so closely. Metal as a whole is rooted in classical music; there’s not a famous prog rock song that doesn’t owe its sound to classical composition,¹ and subgenres like symphonic metal clearly pull heavily from classical traditions, while prog metal loves to include orchestral instruments. As previously highlighted, Weinroth-Browne is a renowned guest musician in prog; however, it’s his solo albums that truly showcase his virtuosity as a musician—with only himself, cello, and the almighty looping pedal. The baroque-sounding Empyrean is no exception to the cellist’s mighty talents. Lifeblood looked inward into himself, making it clear that music is his love language. Empyrean speaks through the technicality of classical composition—the album was born from a larger production titled Bach Reimagined, an eighty minute multi-disciplinary work binding Johann Sebastian Bach’s cello preludes with emotionally stirring soundscapes, bringing new life to the meaning of baroque music. 

A quick music lesson for those unfamiliar: baroque music is defined by distinct characteristics; energetic and ornate with light and even notes, melodies are often stacked together in polyphonic² textures. “Speed of Light” opens Empyrean with high-tempo, Phrygian-brushed arpeggios transposed from Bach’s all too famous “Prelude in G Major” (you know the one). With the looping pedal, Weinroth-Browne builds characteristic polyphony by including a chugging rhythm section, bright and piercing melodies, ornate flourishes, and a low drum beat to sound as full as a five-piece band. Tracks like “Evocation” and “Murmuration”—coming after a brief interlude inspired by Bach’s “Prelude in C Minor“—see the same arpeggiation and gripping flourishes, only the rhythmic portions of these tracks gently glide across the cello strings with an evenness that makes the tracks’ atmosphere, and the listener, float through a full soundscape. 

Even the greats of classical music were inspired by each other: what worked then must work now, right?³ And while full-bodied arpeggios and sticky staccato phrases thunder with Bach-isms over contrapuntal rhythmic lines, the strongest moments of Empyrean reveal Weinroth-Browne’s rosin-dusted fingerprints all over the composition. A track like “Integration”, lacking the aforementioned baroque characteristics, has an almost playful personality with its bubbly and circular composition, showing off gorgeously clean cello harmonics that ring with such a sharp clarity, my own violin trembles with fear and jealousy. Weinroth-Browne continues to take atmosphere to the next level in closing/title track “Empyrean”, which forgoes everything from the previous eight songs and dives into a somber, crushing ambience. His technicality shines in the grave timbre, extending musical time with a bow control that’s so even and intense, it’s as if the cello itself weeps with vulnerability. That feeling of intensity is strong throughout Empyrean, with a more classic sense of the word being heard in “Reflection”, a track that sees Lifeblood’s Middle Eastern maqams return with tight and heavy Meshuggah-esque sixteenth notes that undulate in and out of a passionate melodic buildup, climaxing over the entire track’s runtime. 

As a string player, I’d be remiss not to highlight another skill that makes Weinroth-Browne capable of such high-level musical reimagination. Aside from “Sanctum”, a hypnotic, Sufi-mystic-inspired track, there’s not much use of wide, prolonged vibrato. The notes are fairly straight yet project so much passion, which is due to a mixture of strong bow pressure, speed, and control.⁴ “Dissolution” both soars and grinds with a crescendoing melody that breathes similarly to Bach’s somber Sarabande from “Cello Suite No. 6”, except Weinroth-Browne literally pulls the soaring notes from the strings, adding slight reverb to make the soundwaves of each individual note vibrate and hum with electrical life. These same reverb effects elevate the ethereal air of supporting lines throughout Empyrean, giving body to the soft and even tremolos that sit lightly at the edge of the bow, fine-tuning a track’s atmospheric goal at any given moment. While mastering these technical abilities is crucial for any good string musician, it’s the way Weinroth-Browne blends his technique with such a vulnerable, expressive timbre that truly makes Empyrean glide. 

Using nothing but a pedalboard with an acoustic cello, Raphael Weinroth-Browne proves, yet again, that his passion for music goes beyond language. The expression of strictly-composed baroque music and prog-like rhythms intertwined with an emotionally-charged atmosphere is seamless and visceral—Weinroth-Browne’s ability to create entire worlds from a single instrument is special. Such beautiful production even inspires a violinist like myself to follow in his footsteps. However, musician or not, anyone should do their due diligence and immerse themselves in Empyrean’s bath of cello storytelling that transcends timelines and atmospheres through skill, passion, and a bit of warm, comforting dreaminess.

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Recommended tracks: Speed of Light, Integration, Dissolution, Revelation, Empyrean
You may also like: Jo Quail, The Visit, Harry Stafylakis, Rebekka Karijord
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Raphael Weinroth-Browne is: 
– Himself (Cello, looping pedals)

1. It would be so crazy if a prog rock-themed concert orchestra consisting of musicians, singers, and electric instrumentalists performed the greatest hits of the genre, and then went on to be talked about by the classical heads at the Subway. Oh wait… ↩︎
2.  Polyphony: when multiple musical lines are played at the same time, in a way that makes them independent of each other rhythmically, but are dependent on each other harmonically. ↩︎
3. Rachmaninoff (my all-time favorite composer) wrote a theme and variation on Paganini’s Caprice 24 (The ‘Elden-Ring-final-boss’ of violin solos) for piano and orchestra, Brahms masterfully composed a solo piano piece based off themes by Handel, every composer and their mother have written something inspired by Beethoven…there’s a reason why we still talk about these musicians today. ↩︎
4. Also because I’d imagine adding vibrato to everything would create some serious muddiness when looping parts together, and again, baroque-inspired music calls for intentional, sparing usage of the technique. ↩︎