August Burns Red

Rescue & Restore

Written by: LF on 30/07/2013 15:56:46

Since their debut in 2005, August Burns Red has become one of the big names in metalcore. As such they had a lot to live up to with this album which is their fifth not counting the 2012 Christmas album. I for one loved their last record and have therefore been looking forward to this release for some time. As it turns out, ABR are trying out some new things while still retaining what has become their signature sound and they do this really well. "Rescue & Restore" has already been called their best album to date and while I don't completely agree with that assessment I definitely approve of the band branching out into what seems to be a more progressive sound, stretching the borders of the metalcore-scene which surely is in need of experimenting bands.

"Creative Captivity" is probably the most experimental track on the record. It is also the track including the album title in its lyrics and in many ways it underlines an intention of the album. Mostly an instrumental track, it includes a cavalcade of atypical instruments for metalcore such as violins, marimba, trumpet and some sort of harp. Lead guitarist JB Brubaker has said that this song is a statement, an attempt to provoke the genre, and it does come off as a bit of a concept song. This creative outburst is followed by probably the most straight ABR-sounding song on the album, "Fault Line", which was also the second single released. The other single, "Spirit Breaker" has vocalist Jake Luhrs and bassist Dustin Davidson screaming lyrics interchangeably which sounds really cool.

It is almost impossible to pick out just a few interesting tracks off this album as they are all solid ABR songs worth checking out but I will comment on my favorites. "Count It All As Lost" is the most technical song on here and their self-proclaimed inspiration from a band like Between the Buried and Me definitely shines through which is a great quality for this scribe. With regard to lyrical content there's no denying the Christian roots of this band but whether that might bother you or not ABR has a gift for writing great lyrics, and first track "Provision" has the coolest breakdown with Jake Luhrs proclaiming: "I'm just as much the problem as the man behind bars / He did with his business what I do in my heart". My definite favorite part of the album is tracks 8 and 9, "Beauty in Tragedy" and "Animals" which also illustrate the range of ABR neatly. "Beauty In Tragedy" is very much to the melodic side while "Animals" is a beast of a song cemented by the wailing of an Egyptian-sounding guitar.

ABR have done a refreshing thing with "Rescue & Restore" both for themselves as a band and for metalcore as a genre. Their music still has the odd-meters and heavy breakdowns that we already knew they were experts at putting together but with this release they are growing as a band and showing off their talent in new areas. Definitely an album worth checking out.

Download: Spirit Breaker, Count It All As Lost, Creative Captivity, Fault Line, Animals
For the fans of: As I Lay Dying, Misery Signals, Parkway Drive
Listen: facebook.com/augustburnsred

Release date: 25.06.2013
Solid State Records

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