AUGUST BURNS RED | Guardians | Album Review

August Burns Red is one of the most acclaimed bands in the metalcore scene. Since the genre's popularity peak in the mid 2000's, the band has maintained the type of longevity that other bands haven't. This is proven as the band releases their eighth studio album "Guardians". The reason why August Burns Red is highly regarded as one of the better bands in metalcore is because of their technical riffs and experimental approach they take in their music. It has been something that has taken August Burns Red above the rest, but I will admit it's been a while since I've really been wowed by the band. "Constellations" really sucked me in to this band when I first heard it, but since "Rescue And Restore", the band has gone on a cycle of releasing music that I liked at first, but I didn't revisit as much as time went on. It's good metalcore, but it didn't necessarily blow me away in any regard. "Guardians" has the challenging task to finally be that album that's worth getting excited about. Before the album's release, several comments were made in regards of the approach to this album, one notable descriptor being that it would be easier to digest than previous works. Another comment from JB Brubaker claims that the new music "is the culmination of a complete and total team effort... It was the most time we spent in the studio on one album." All of these comments prove that August Burns Red are a step above other bands in terms of the effort put into their music and the ambition behind each record.

The three major singles to come from this album before its release were "Bones", "Defender", and "Paramount", all of which are joined together at the beginning of the album after a crushing opener in "The Narrative". "Defender" was the first single to come off of "Guardians". Being completely honest, this song is not the album's strongest moment. The guitar melodies and Jake Luhr's vocals are present throughout and you can tell this song has great intentions, but overall this isn't a song I come back to frequently. "Bones" is the song that caught my attention the most before the release of the album. This is easily the best August Burns Red song I have heard in years, and is high on my list of the best songs of 2020. When the band stated that some of the new material would be easier to comprehend, this is a great example of that. "Bones" features the typical riffage that separates the band from their peers, but there is more of a focus on melody evident in the excellent chorus. The high note guitar work is perfect and Jake Luhrs gives one of the best vocal performances he's ever given. The song keeps its momentum going for over four minutes, and it's a song that you'll want to hear repeatedly until you get sick of it. That is the effect that music should have, and that's what makes "Bones" the highlight of this entire album and quite possibly of August Burns Red's career. It's a song I've been listening to a lot since first listen, and has helped me to anticipate "Guardians" all the more. That's a good thing for pre-release songs to accomplish.

Going through the rest of the album in entirety, you can see that this is an amalgamation of all of August Burns Red's best tricks in one package. Much of this album reminds me of the excellent material on "Constellations" while the more experimental cuts on the album remind me of "Found In Far Away Places" and "Rescue And Restore" material. "Guardians" still carries its own identity as an overall album though and there is very little that takes the listener out of it during the experience. Opening up the album is "The Narrative", which kicks the doors down with heavy musicianship and Jake Luhrs' varied growls that have never sounded better. This is how you begin an album on the right footing, and fortunately, there is a lot to offer for the rest of the runtime. "Lighthouse" is where the heavy construct simmers a bit to introduce a melodic chorus that works to its benefit while not being completely subdued as far as its instrumentation goes. The rest of the album is more consistent with its style, as tracks such as "Extinct By Instinct", "Dismembered Memory", and "Empty Heaven" are some of the best examples you'll find of the band expanding their sound while not straying too far away from their style. "Extinct By Instinct" especially brings in a captivating performance from every member, and flows excellenty. It is also one of the best tracks this band has ever written, even though songs like "Paramount", "Dismembered Melody", and the stellar album closer "Three Fountains" definitely deserve credit for their efforts.

Even though this album is impressive, there are a couple of tracks on "Guardians" that are not on the same tier as the other tracks, those being the two song sequence "Ties That Bind" and "Bloodletter". These two songs are technically fine, but they are also songs that are more middle of the road than anything. "Bloodletter" especially suffers with having that typical 7/8 riff pattern that's too overused in metalcore. I wish bands of this variety would move away from this riff pattern, but of course that doesn't tarnish this album in any way and of course the song is definitely not bad. Even the two weaker songs on this album have elements that work, and that's something that a lot of filler tracks don't have. I have listened to and enjoyed August Burns Red since the early 2010's, but as I stated earlier, the band's recent output didn't make me enthusiastic about the band. Yes, they were both good albums at face value, but they are definitely not in the top tier of this band's discography. "Guardians" has succeeded at that. It's easily the band's best album since leaving Solid State Records, and if this kind of high quality music is what we're going to get from August Burns Red in the future, then this is a band to watch out for in the 2020's. Overall, "Guardians" is a bit less experimental than previous albums but easily succeeds at everything that it tries, whether it be foreign or familiar. This is an album that should make anyone excited about what this band has up their sleeve going forward, especially August Burns Red fans. To put it at its simplest, you'll hear this music and guard a copy for yourself. 

RATING: 9/10 

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