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).
"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 U.S. release of Empires peaked at #6 on the CMJ RPM Charts.
In a retrospective on the band's website, Ronan Harris has described the creation of the album as "unforgettable" and "intense"; as he was still only doing music in his spare time, he would spend time in the studio after work hours and on weekends. He also described the experience as "deeply emotional":
The following equipment was used to compose and produce the album: