Lancaster, Pennsylvania trailblazers, August Burns Red, return on March 24th with a brand new album, titled "Death Below". Consisting of 13 tracks, it comes 3 years almost to the date after the acclaimed "Guardians" and the quintet proves that the flame that helped them rise above the multitude of metalcore bands of the early 2010's keeps burning. Personally although I must admit that old ABR holds a very dear place in my heart (more specifically, and without giving away my age demographic, the "Messengers"/"Constellations" era) somewhere along the way I outgrew them. It was natural to keep up with their releases, and seeing them perform numerous times over the years only solidified my opinion that they're one of the most hardworking bands out there, but the emotional connection to the music is just simply not there anymore.
This I believe allows me to handle a release as objectively as I can, since I don't have expectations of what they should sound like or what I want to hear, so even sonic curveballs are likely to get a more favorable treatment (a luxury that I haven't been able to extend to other bands with dramatic sound changes in the recent years). Worry not though, ABR is still loyal to their distinctive noisemaking, which in this album I feel was elevated even further.
"Death Below" is a trademark August Burns Red release. It has all the elements that the audience knows and loves about this band's composing; the crushing guitarwork, courtesy of JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler, that balances between ferocity and incredible detail with even some djenty undertones, Dustin Davidson's basslines which are always at the forefront and underpinning the whole effort, and of course Matt Greiner's visceral drumwork and calculated tempo changes which never fail to keep the listener's attention.
It's really unheard of for me to be so impressed by a tracklisting that I don't have personal favorites but honestly, here we are. From intro "Premonition" and the unusually long opener "The Cleansing", that bashes the listener from the first second, to the demolishing "Tightrope" and "Fool's Gold In The Bear Trap", to the chaotic "Dark Divide" to the scything "The Abyss", to the closing "The Reckoning" where the album does a 360, every single song is captivating in its own way.
As mentioned earlier, "Death Below" consists of 13 tracks, three of which feature reputable guests, namely Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage, JT Cavey of Erra, Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath and guitar prodigy Jason Richardson. While guest features can be quite tricky, and maybe a little suspicious when they occupy 1/3 of the tracklisting, in ABR's case they each fit perfectly their roles in their respective songs, adding the needed intricate levels of intensity, not once overshadowing their hosts. The best example to that is the closing track, running just under 8' in duration, where Spencer and Jake Luhrs clash over beautifully crafted technical but surprisingly engaging instrumentation. The artful construction relies heavily on the trademark guitar duels building incredible anticipation before momentarily slowing things down, allowing the guest to showcase his unmistakable clean singing. But even then the guitar solo still dominates in the background before the track returns to its electrifying character, staccato rhythm section and emotive screams. Perfection.
Overall, "Death Below" is a testament to August Burns Red's resilience. In a time when old metalcore stars are timidly making a comeback to the genre that made them, hoping to recapture some of their former glory after the change of direction didn't work out, the Lancaster outfit was able to create a brand new milestone in their legacy. ABR has cemented their position as a leader in the scene, proving that their consistency, hard work and stellar songwriting abilities are more on point than ever.
9/10
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