Review Summary: Experime(n)talcore??
Born in 2003 and raised through the beginning and flourishing of fellow metalcore bands where August Burns Red. They’ve done considerably well for themselves with that statement about them. Through these past 12 years of the quintet’s career, they have observed the steady decline and judgement of metalcore as we knew it. Back in the day it was the genre that nailed the balance of fan-unifying lyrics and melodious technicality. Nowadays it is the instant victim to criticism as the genre evolved by the enhancing of vocals that where so clean they could pass as a stain remover commercial. How has just another metalcore band, which happens to be Christian, endured for over a decade?
The answer is relatively simple: they haven’t changed their style. They’ve always relied on raw talent rather than computer generated production. You could say that August has always burned red- not black, not white, not orange; only Red. Whether that’s for the good or the bad is truly the only judgement people can make of them.
The explosive entrance of The Wake wastes no time in knocking you flat with its chugging breakdowns and Jake Luhrs’ instantly distinctive vocals. Luhrs’ vocals sound as raspy on Found In Far Away Places as they do in any other August Burns Red album however when they are placed ahead of the complex guitar swerves in tracks like Broken Promises, the outcome is a frenzy of emotionally charged metalcore. This is the same scenario in Ghost, which features additional lungs from Jeremy McKinnon (A Day To Remember) who brings a cleaner aspect to the accessible chorus.
As mentioned, this band has been through the rise and falls of metalcore and is still going strong. In 2015, the secret to their longevity could be found with their new found sense of experimentation. Kaleidoscopic melodies pierce through chugging breakdowns during Separating The Seas only to reach a short passage of Victorian-esque violins; thankfully this enhances the emotional charge of squealing guitars after. Sometimes the experimentation is a little too drastic that it leaves you more confused than intrigued. Majoring In The Minors is one of the strongest songs on the album: spiking harmonies that dance around the unifying yells plus hysterical drumming make it a great song. However, it’s like the band disregarded their thinking caps and instead put on a straw hat, dungarees and lost a few teeth for them to think up the folky-hillbilly-southerny interlude in the middle. It doesn’t make it a bad song by any means-it just sounds a bit bizarre in the end.
JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler really shine on this album. In every song there are complex yet rhythmic changes of tempo, mood and technicality. Leading single Identity is breathless and the notes on the fret board are scattered with precision and confidence. These dual melodies are harnessed continuously throughout the album yet none sound copied. Everlasting Ending has some that glidingly shower over whereas some of the harmonies on Martyr are franticly fast paced. Each harmony matches the mood of the song, bringing a moving and decorative attitude to August Burns Red’s latest offer.
