It seems August Burns Red can do no wrong with their sixth studio effort Rescue & Restore cementing them as one of the dominant powerhouses of modern metal-core music.
For the August Burns Red faithful, it’s exactly what you’d expect. Complex riffs, brutal breakdowns, hardcore influences and huge sing-alongs. It’s the incarnation of the band we’ve come to expect and love.
While the American band have long worked with the formula ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’, the latest album pushes them into uncharted territory, while still maintaining a certain familiarity.
“Provision” bursts out the gates, setting the tone for the entire album, with soaring riffs and breakdowns to get you prepared for 45 minutes of pure musical dominance.
The four-piece’s technical progression is surpassed on every new record, and the likes of “Spirit Breaker” and “Sincerity” demonstrate this.
What Rescue & Restore does differently from previous studio efforts the more hardcore influences seep to the surface, best demonstrated through Jake Luhrs’ enormous vocal talent in “Count It All As Lost”.
There are enough breakdowns to keep you satisfied, perfectly meshed with spiralling riffs and Luhrs’ mix of low growls and screams containing lyrics to both inspire and to reflect upon. It’s varied and doesn’t fall into a repetitive nature, and each song is full of unexpected surprises.
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Each song in itself has its own stand out element, whether a notable set of riffs, vocal talent or even just a heavy breakdown. Each has a hidden gem to be found. “Creative Capacity” best demonstrates this, including violin and trumpet sections to create an epic mid-point of the album.
August Burns Red distinguishes itself so well from the current scene, not falling into flavour of the month, but pushing the boundaries of the genre.
Dabbling in elements of punk and hard rock, they continue to pursue and create music that is truly unique from their rivals. Rescue & Restore will have you jumping up and down in your seat and head-banging in inappropriate places.
