Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	58/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Daily Express
Entertainment Weekly	(B)
The Guardian
The Independent
Los Angeles Times
Pitchfork Media	(4.8/10)
Rolling Stone
Spin	(5/10)
Toronto Star

Fallen Empires is the sixth studio album by Scottish rock band Snow Patrol. The album was released on 11 November 2011 (10 January 2012 in North America). The album became the first to feature guitarist Johnny McDaid, who joined during the recording and last to feature keyboardist Tom Simpson, who would later depart the band in 2013. It is also the only album by the band as a six-piece.

When asked about the writing process for the album, Gary Lightbody commented by saying "It's the longest album we've ever made by far but also the best. We took our time and I also had some bouts of writer's block. It's the first time it's happened for such a long time. I've had days when I haven't been able to write. Since 2009, I've gone through three writer's blocks but I'm glad because the results are great afterwards. They probably made me write better songs." Snow Patrol planned a "Fallen Empires tour" in 2012 with the first date being at the O2 in Dublin. The song "New York" can be heard at the end of "Suddenly" (Season 8 Episode 10) of Grey's Anatomy. The song is also played in "After School Special" (Season 4 Episode 10) of The Vampire Diaries.

Fallen Empires received mixed reviews from critics. According to the website Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average review score of 58/100, based on 25 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".

James Christopher Monger wrote a favorable review for Allmusic, stating that the album "establishes an expansive vista of sound early on, bathing fairly simple melodies in waves of fastidious loops and sparse percussion." Mike Haydock wrote a positive review for BBC Music, analysing that "Best of all are the moments when Snow Patrol blend the two approaches together, combining their own aesthetic with an Achtung Baby adoration."Entertainment Weekly's Melissa Maerz wrote that "For all the sentiment, it's the simplest stuff that rings true."The New York Times's Nate Chinen praised the songwriting, saying that "What makes this all feel reasonably unforced is the abiding earnestness in the songwriting."The A.V. Club wrote that the album "it's comforting at worst and occasionally fantastic."

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