Canadian cellist and composer Raphael Weinroth-Browne has announced his third solo album, “Empyrean”, is set to arrive on September 11th, 2026. Expansive, cinematic and integrated with moments of dramatic heaviness, the album weaves together Baroque grandeur, post-rock atmosphere, experimental noise and progressive metal into Weinroth-Browne’s most spiritually charged work to date, music that reaches beyond the earthly in search of something transcendent.
Ahead of the release, Weinroth-Browne has unveiled the album’s first single, “Reflection”, monolithic and hypnotic, it channels ritualistic repetition into a vortex of distorted cello, Middle Eastern-inspired melodies and syncopated grooves recalling the tectonic force of Tool and Meshuggah.
Watch the official video for “Reflection” below.
“Crushing and relentless, this piece is a reflection of my prog metal influences”, says Weinroth-Browne. “As a cellist, I’m unusual in that bands like Tool and Meshuggah are a more significant part of my musical DNA than composers such as Beethoven or Brahms”.
Raphael continues: “‘Reflection’ is one of the heaviest tracks I’ve released as a solo artist. I wanted it to feel imposing and immutable, like a monolith. Despite the snarling intensity of the insistent chugging riffs and pervading feeling of menace throughout, there is also something very meditative about its repetitiveness, as though it is guiding the listener to an altered state of consciousness amidst the turmoil and chaos”.
Originally composed for the acclaimed contemporary dance production Bach Reimagined by James Wilton Dance, “Reflection” embodies the central tension that defines “Empyrean”, the collision of sacred classical tradition with modern extremity. Jagged ostinatos spiral endlessly around one another like dancers locked in ecstatic trance, while waves of distortion and swelling strings dissolve the line between chamber music and post-metal catharsis.
The origins of forthcoming new album “Empyrean” itself are as cinematic as the music it contains. In 2024, Weinroth-Browne was commissioned by James Wilton Dance to compose an 80-minute score inspired by the music and legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach. What emerged became Bach Reimagined: a touring multidisciplinary work exploring immortality, artistic transcendence and the pursuit of the sublime through creation.
Rather than simply reinterpret Bach, Weinroth-Browne entered into dialogue with him across centuries. The resulting compositions fuse the purity and mathematical elegance of Baroque counterpoint with distorted textures, electronic ambience and towering rhythmic weight. Tracks such as “Speed of Light” and “Dissolution” plunge Bach-inspired motifs into vast storms of noise and metallic tension, while the meditative “Sanctum” evokes Sufi mysticism and devotional stillness.
“At its core”, Weinroth-Browne explains: “‘Empyrean’ is about the search for the sublime. As artists, we spend our lives trying to create something that transcends the everyday, if only for a split second, as if to glimpse eternity through a keyhole”.
Captured at Union Sound Company in Toronto immediately following the sessions for 2025’s critically acclaimed “Lifeblood”, “Empyrean” finds Weinroth-Browne operating at the peak of his creative powers. The album was recorded and engineered by Darren McGill (Rush, The Dirty Nil), mixed by Adam Noble (Leprous, Katatonia) and mastered by Robin Schmidt (Leprous), resulting in a sound both immense and intimate, every bow stroke preserved with almost tactile immediacy. Artwork comes from London-based printmaker and collage artist Cally Conway, discovered by Weinroth-Browne in Brighton during the Bach tour.
The release follows a period of significant acclaim. His 2020 debut “Worlds Within” was hailed as “masterful” and “a stunning example of less being more”, while 2025’s “Lifeblood” expanded his sound into something even more cinematic and visceral, described as “a triumph of vision and virtuosity” and “the most ambitious album of Weinroth-Browne’s career”.
Tracklist:
1. Speed of Light
2. Remnant
3. Evocation
4. Murmuration
5. Integration
6. Dissolution
7. Sanctum
8. Reflection
9. Empyrean
That same fearless boundary-pushing has made Weinroth-Browne an essential figure within modern progressive music. His cello work can be heard on hundreds of studio albums, including Woods of Ypres’ Juno Award-winning W5: Grey Skies & Electric Light and across many major film and TV soundtracks. Viral interpretations of Opeth, Katatonia and Steven Wilson have drawn direct praise from the artists themselves, further cementing his reputation as a boundaryless interpreter and composer.
Since joining Norwegian prog visionaries Leprous in 2016, he has performed over 200 shows worldwide and contributed to three of their studio albums, helping redefine the role of cello in progressive heavy music. Beyond Leprous, he has shared stages with Evanescence, Apocalyptica and Devin Townsend.
As a solo artist, Weinroth-Browne has become an ambassador for what the cello can be in the 21st century. He has made waves at prestigious festivals such as the Cello Biennale Amsterdam and the International Cello Festival of Canada and has opened for artists ranging from Polish neoclassical pianist Hania Rani to Nordic folk ensemble SKÁLD and Danish prog metal masters VOLA.
With a packed performance schedule this year, including European tours alongside Earthside and Einar Solberg on the horizon and Empyrean set for release later this year, Raphael Weinroth-Browne continues to push the cello far beyond expectation, toward something infinite, luminous and profoundly otherworldly.
Tour Dates 2026:
May 10 – Speakeasy Tapas Lounge, Ottawa, Canada (solo)
May 22 – 229 The Venue, London, UK (solo and with Earthside)
May 23 – Glazart, Paris, France (solo and with Earthside)
May 24 – Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands (solo and with Earthside)
May 27 – MTC, Cologne, Germany (solo and with Earthside)
May 29 – Betty, Hamburg, Germany (solo and with Earthside)
May 30 – Stengade, Copenhagen, Denmark (solo and with Earthside)
June 1 – Kollektivet Livet, Stockholm, Sweden (solo and with Earthside)
June 4 – On the Rocks, Helsinki, Finland (solo and with Earthside)
June 5 – Ankea Festival, Tampere, Finland (with Earthside)
June 11 – Overtime Sports, Kingston, Canada (solo)
June 18 – House of TARG, Ottawa, Canada (solo)
August 23 – Ottawa Tennis Club, Ottawa, Canada (solo)
September 18 – The Garage, London, UK (solo and with Einar Solberg)
September 19 – Café de la Danse, Paris, France (solo and with Einar Solberg)
September 20 – Le Rex, Toulouse, France (solo and with Einar Solberg)
September 21 – La Rhapsodie, Biarritz, France (solo and with Einar Solberg)
September 22 – Mouco, Porto, Portugal (solo and with Einar Solberg)
September 23 – República da Música, Lisbon, Portugal (solo and with Einar Solberg)
September 25 – Be Prog! My Friend, Barcelona, Spain (with Einar Solberg)
September 26 – L’Ampérage, Grenoble, France (solo and with Einar Solberg)
September 27 – Euroblast Festival, Cologne, Germany (with Einar Solberg)
September 29 – Hype Park, Kraków, Poland (solo and with Einar Solberg)
September 30 – Lido, Berlin, Germany (solo and with Einar Solberg)
October 1 – Gebläsehalle, Neunkirchen, Germany (solo and with Einar Solberg)
October 2 – Werkk Kulturlokal, Baden, Switzerland (solo and with Einar Solberg)
October 4 – ProgPower Europe, Baarlo, Netherlands (with Einar Solberg)
Weblinks:
raphaelweinrothbrowne.com
www.facebook.com/raphcello
