About The Artist
“August Burns Red remain one of the most popular and
dependable names in modern metal.” – Billboard
August Burns Red is likely the only metal act ever
described as “thrillingly empathetic” (Kerrang!). It’s a testament to
the ferocious band’s ability to recognize and connect with the mixture of
brokenness and hope found in their audience and within themselves.
A hard-working collective with a shockingly stable lineup
for the vast majority of their career, August Burns Red pour every ounce of
themselves into their songs. Atmospheric, riff-laden, aggressive bursts of
controlled chaos, filled with shifting time signatures and tempos, deliver
confessional, self-reflective, and authentic emotion. Songs like “White
Washed,” “Marianas Trench,” “Invisible Enemy,” and “Paramount” are undeniable
anthems.
Tour stops with Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Parkway
Drive, and Bring Me the Horizon; several major international hard rock
festivals (Rock Am Ring, Download, and Aftershock, to name a few); and the Vans
Warped Tour are among the destinations around the world to witness ABR’s live
prowess.
Massive headlining treks celebrating 10-year anniversaries
for Constellations and Leveler demonstrated the enduring
relevance of the band’s catalog, nearly 20 years into ABR’s storied career. In
recent years, Revolver Magazine included Constellations in their
10 Essential Metalcore Albums From 2009, alongside similarly consequential
records from A Day To Remember and Architects.
2020’s Guardians debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s
Hard Music, Rock Albums, and Vinyl Albums charts. Revolver, who put the
band on their cover the same year, declared August Burns Red “embrace the pain
so well.” It’s a truth never more evident than on Death Below, their
stunning ninth studio album.
The twice-GRAMMY-nominated metal band from Amish Country
(Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to be exact) indulge New Wave Of American Heavy Metal
and simultaneously summons a sound that’s often dark, oppressive, and black
metal-ish bleak.
At a point in their career where most bands bend over
backward to become more “accessible,” August Burns Red double down on their
sound, following up the punishingly heavy Guardians with an even more
extreme record. Album ten is both thick with a dense atmosphere and very
pissed-off.
Luhrs, guitarists JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler, bassist
Dustin Davidson, and drummer Matt Greiner sound gloriously unhinged. “This is
probably our most progressive album,” Rambler reasons. “Guardians was a
bit more streamlined in structure than this one.”
The writing process began during the onset of the
worldwide pandemic. “It was a dark time, and I didn’t feel like writing
unlifting melodies,” Brubaker explains. “The material I wrote came out darker,
more ‘metal,’ so to speak, and Dustin, who writes a lot of stuff with me, was
on the same page.”
That isn’t to say Death Below isn’t catchy,
memorable, or enchanting. Recorded off-and-on over two years with longtime
producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland, Death Below encompasses the
varied strengths of the band’s past with an unapologetic density and
overwhelming dramatic power.
Death Below also boasts guest appearances from
ABR allies Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage),
Spencer Chamberlain (Underoath), Jason Richardson (All That Remains),
and JT Cavey (ERRA). Songs like “The Cleansing,” “Ancestry,” “Backfire,” and
“Reckoning” will undoubtedly take their place among fan-favorite ABR tracks and
will certainly devastate in the live setting.
“It’s getting difficult for the members of August Burns
Red to keep one-upping themselves,” marveled Billboard shortly before Guardians
arrived. With Death Below, they emerge victorious again.
Jake Luhrs – Vocals
JB Brubaker – Guitar
Brent Rambler – Guitar
Dustin Davidson – Bass
Matt Greiner – Drums
Courtesy of publicity: ABR Bio by Ryan J. Downey and ABR Photo
Comments
Post a Comment