August Burns - Guardians Album Review

Review by Brady Cloven

August Burns Red “Guardians” I don’t think it would be an overstatement to call August Burns Red the titans of modern metalcore. In the ten years since the release of their scene-breaking Constellations, the group from Lancaster have been burning the candle at both ends as they churned out four more albums and grabbed two Grammy nominations. The band is now just days away from the release of their newest album, Guardians, and as a long-time fan I cannot begin to describe the excitement I had going into this album. I think it is fair to say that the past few releases have followed a writing style that the band has found comfortable. They kept their level of heaviness layered in melodies and impressive musicianship while throwing in a few new components in the form of instrumental sections. As consistent as they were, I still felt like each release left me wanting. There was always something missing from pushing the album over the edge. With their new release, Guardians, I truly believe the band has found a way to keep their signature sound while pushing themselves over the edge.

Narrative starts out with a fast pace that erupts into vocalist Jake Luhrs’ fervent screams. Already we are plunged into the intense fretwork of guitarists JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler as they build on each other until Matt Greiner, in all of his glory, comes in with those blast beats. There’s an atmospheric tone that hints at a darkness that I have not heard from the band before and it is a welcome surprise. The vocals have a harshness to them, but they are also layered to bring such an atmosphere to the forefront.

Bones is up next, and it sounds straight out of Leveler with it’s energetic and quick pace. The riff explodes here while Jake and bassist Dustin Davidson trade screams back and forth and continues on while the baritone bass comes grooving in for a moment of mellow before we are plunged back into the spiraling riff of Brubaker as he breaks into the first solo of the album.

Paramount is where the album really begins to harness the darkness it hinted at before. It’s a crushing song that features soaring riffs and incredible kick-drum work. The screams from Luhrs are reminiscent of Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada as he growls his way through a song borders more on the melodic death metal side of the scene and does it extremely well.

Defender is the first single that the band released for this album and it is heavy as hell. Matt Greiner continues to be a superhuman on the drum kit while we build up to a breakdown that gave me goosebumps each and every time I went back over it. What it lacks in changing tempo, it makes up for in sheer intensity.

Lighthouse is where the band really changes things up as they introduce what is one of the most melodic songs in their entire catalogue. The chorus peels back the snarls and uses more of a raspy scream/singing that dances on the riff until Luhrs brings out the familiar spoken word section overtop of Davidson’s bass line.

Dismembered Memory continues the consistency and gives us the staccato fretwork that we all know and love while Ties That Bind brings back the tempo changes that highlight the best parts of this album as a whole. The riffs go from breakneck speed to soaring in a second while Matt Greiner goes from the speed of light to careful restraint over and over until one of the most beautiful breakdowns comes strutting into your ears. Another change of tempo follows directly after to guide you through the end of the song as the guitars stay with you, playing off of each other the whole time. The song fades out beautifully and transitions into the vicious scream of

Bloodletter that bounces off of a sharp baseline and intense snare that suck the air out of the room as the song continues to suffocate you. It is a song that is probably the most August Burns Red type of song on the album with a highlight of more staccato riffing and precise drumming. I do think that the back half of the album is the weaker one as some of the songs start to blend together into one giant metalcore song, but Extinct by Instinct has moments of brilliance that shine through and break this up.

Empty Heaven has riffs that lift you up and produce a uniquely metalcore tone while the bass fills the undertone and the two work in sync to never let you come back down. Admittedly, I am a sucker for final tracks. It is so hard to find a final track that sticks with me long after the album is gone. Sure, I can always remember the “meat and potatoes” of an album through the singles released but finding a final song that sticks out is something magical.

Three Fountains is one of those songs. It opens to soft chord work that slowly brings the rest of the instruments in as they all come together in a beautiful melody meant to make you move, but not in the traditional mosh-pit type of way at first. Once again Greiner blows you away with how his speed and energy can stop on a dime to transition fluidly into the next part of the song. The baritone bass comes back out as riffs weave back and forth, below then above the surface. The song breaks into a soaring, anthemic style that leaves you in a silence that allows this beautiful creation to sink into your bones. It is a final track to beat all other final tracks.

Guardians is the album that every ABR fan has been waiting years for. The level of musicianship has always been top-notch, but on this album the band seem to create a new atmosphere with a different approach. Instead of dueling, the guitar work complements and builds off of each other. The rhythm section provided by Davidson on bass and Greiner on drums give the album such a sturdy groundwork that it’s almost impossible for these songs to be bad. While these guys shoulder a lot of the weight, the real surprise has been with the vocal work of Jake Luhrs. For years, I felt that he was good but limited. Phantom Anthem gave a glimpse of his progress as a vocalist, but Guardians blows everything out of the water. Luhrs’ screams are cloaked in this darkness that is both sinister and vicious. There’s a bitterness to them not seen before and it does wonders for the album. It’s not just about how hard he can scream though. The vocals are mixed and layered so incredibly well that both his rage and passion shine through equally whether it is rising above the massive riffs or strutting alongside of the plucking baseline. Guardians is exactly what this band has been working towards and is the perfect soundtrack to your quarantine.

Make sure to grab this album on April 3rd!