August Burns Red- "Constellations"

GUEST WRITER- Daniel Tibbett, Westwood, CA

And the Lord God saith, “Let ye playith metal.” And it was good.

I love August Burns Red. There. I said it. I don’t care if fellow metal connoisseurs chastise me for falling deeply in love with a Christian band. I don’t care if they mock the constant hardcore breakdowns, the band’s super deep-v necks, or the heartfelt lyrics, like, “You're hurt, you're broken. That's alright, that makes us who we are.” Our love transcends such boundaries, and I am comfortable saying that I haven’t stopped listening to August Burns Red’s new album “Constellations” for over a week. But maybe I’m moving too fast – I know not everyone falls head over heels. Maybe I should start with the standby, stick-up-my-ass review technique and see if that affords me the language necessary to write a competent summary of this album.

Alright, deep breath. Here we go. On Tuesday, July 14, August Burns Red is set to release their third full length entitled “Constellations” (fourth, by some standards, but their first effort was little more than a shitty EP). Hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this five-piece’s last CD “Messengers” debuted in the mid-eighties on Billboard and their subsequent tour, with acts like Between the Buried and Me and As I Lay Dying, solidified their position as one of the most popular bands in metal. But don’t think that means they’re selling out.

After stopping off at home to write and record, August Burns Red…alright, this is getting boring. You get the picture. Metal band, popular, highly anticipated album, blah blah blah. Now comes the fun part: listening to “Constellations.” From the opening track, I knew there was going to be something special between me and this album. ‘Thirty and Seven’ launches into a typical ABR riff – harmonized guitars from JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler, galloping drumming thanks to Matt Greiner, passionate screaming from Jake Luhrs. At this point, it’s good, but nothing special. And then comes the breakdown. Jake screams “Your shame will remain” while the instruments lock into an off-tempo pattern, and JB takes over with a melodic line, and I smile and nod my head in time with the cymbals. And I know that it’s true love.

After the opening songs (‘White Washed’ has one of the most stereotypical-yet-still-amazing intros I’ve heard in years), August Burns Red shows their softer side with ‘Marianas Trench.’ The guitars are undistorted, the music full of chords and harmonies and all sorts of other pretty sounding things. Yes, I know, I’m very articulate. But seriously, this song is evidence of August Burns Red’s creativity and willingness to branch away from standards in metal. It also gives me the freedom to say, “See, they’re not angry all the time!” The last track I have to mention is ‘Rationalist,’ mainly because the riff at 1:30 demonstrates a not-too-often seen side of ABR: their guitar virtuosity. With a sweep picking line that’s ridiculously difficult, JB and Brent flex their guitar-playing nuts in ways that fans have never heard before. And it’s awesome! Ah, well, I know I said I was done talking about the songs, but the final track ‘Crusades’ is an excellent representation of this album. Full of heavy breakdowns, crawling bass lines, blasting drums, frenzied vocals, and beautiful guitars (distorted and clean), this song really has it all. I mean, what more can you want? You got the chuga-chug-chug guitars and the blidablodabloo shredding and bap-bap-boodalapap drums and the vocals all like, “I used to think I’d last forever!”

Yes. Yes, my friends. It is good. And if you want to understand just how good, go pick up the album. Honestly, it’s the best metal album of the year so far. After a few listens, you’ll be playing air guitar and singing along in gibberish, and everyone will think you’re weird, but it’s okay because you will always have August Burns Red.

RATING- 4.5 stars out of 5
HIGHLIGHT TRACKS- "White Washed," "Marianas Trench," "Rationalist"