“Rescue & Restore”, the fifth album from the Manheim, Pennsylvania-based quintet August Burns Red, sold nearly 26,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record was released on June 25 via Solid State Records.
The new effort, described by guitarist and principal songwriter JB Brubaker as the band’s “most ambitious album yet,” turns a critical eye to the oft-maligned genre of metalcore, leading by example to prove that bands can still find exciting new ways to expand the genre.
“‘Rescue & Restore’ is about challenging other bands and ourselves, as well as fans of this music, to want more than whatever happens to be the current buzz,” explains Brubaker “We’ve done our best with each new album to try to push our sound in new directions and we’d like to see our peers do the same.
“People need to realize that there’s not much of a difference between a metalcore song that has a couple breakdowns with a repeating chorus and the latest Lady Gaga song. This genre used to be better than that. It can still be better than that.”
Throughout the album, August Burns Red continue to do their part to challenge the conventions of heavy music. Over the course of 11 tracks, the band artfully blend piano, cello, violin, trumpet, various percussive elements and more into their sonic arsenal, taking their music into new aesthetic territory and contorting the boundaries of the genre.
In support of “Rescue & Restore”, August Burns Red will perform all summer long as a mainstage act on the 2013 Vans Warped Tour, marking their third appearance overall and first since 2011. Dates and locations are listed below.
With “Rescue & Restore”, August Burns Red have proven that it is possible to reshape music in a way that challenges listeners, reinvigorates fans and puts art first. But for any fans who fear August Burns Red turning their back on the sound that catapulted them to the forefront of a genre, Brubaker advises them not to worry.
“At the end of the day, we are still a very heavy band,” he explains. “‘Rescue & Restore’ still has plenty of really heavy stuff, techy odd meter riffs, and all the stuff that people have come to expect from us; it just has a lot more surprises along the way.”
Upcoming Shows:
Jul 05 Vans Warped Tour Toronto, Canada
Jul 06 Van’s Warped Tour Darien Center, NY
Jul 07 Vans Warped Tour Holmdel, NJ
Jul 09 Vans Warped Tour Virginia Beach, VA
Jul 10 Vans Warped Tour Columbia, MD
Jul 11 Vans Warped Tour Boston, MA
Jul 12 Vans Warped Tour Camden, NJ
Jul 13 Vans Warped Tour New York, NY
Jul 14 Vans Warped Tour Hartford, CT
Jul 16 Vans Warped Tour Scranton, PA
Jul 17 Vans Warped Tour Burgettstown, PA
Jul 18 Vans Warped Tour Cleveland, OH
Jul 19 Vans Warped Tour Detroit, MI
Jul 20 Vans Warped Tour Chicago, IL
Jul 21 Vans Warped Tour Minneapolis, MN
Jul 23 Vans Warped Tour Kansas City, KS
Jul 24 Vans Warped Tour St Louis, MO
Jul 25 Vans Warped Tour Atlanta, GA
Jul 26 Vans Warped Tour Tampa, FL
Jul 27 Vans Warped Tour West Palm Beach, FL
Jul 28 Vans Warped Tour Orlando, FL
Jul 29 Vans Warped Tour Charlotte, NC
Jul 30 Vans Warped Tour Cincinnati, OH
Jul 31 Vans Warped Tour Milwaukee, WI
Aug 02 Vans Warped Tour Dallas, TX
Aug 03 Vans Warped Tour San Antonio, TX
Aug 04 Vans Warped Tour Houston, TX
Aug 11 Parc Jean-Drapeau Montreal, Canada
Sep 07 imatter fest Elmira, NY
Sep 12 Tivoli Utrecht, Netherlands
Sep 13 Matrix Bochum, Germany
Sep 14 Gruenspan Hamburg, Germany
Sep 15 Brewhouse Goteborg, Sweden
Sep 16 Klubben Stockholm, Sweden
Sep 18 C-Club Berlin, Germany
Sep 19 Kwadrat Krakow, Poland
Sep 20 Ajz Chemnitz, Germany
Sep 21 Batschkapp Frankfurt, Germany
Sep 22 Hirsch Nuremberg, Germany
Sep 24 Durer Kurt Budapest, Hungary
Sep 25 Arena Vienna, Austria
Sep 26 Backstage Halle Munich, Germany
Sep 27 Vk Brussels, Belgium
Sep 28 Kofmehl Solothurn, Switzerland
Sep 29 Salzhaus Winterthur, Switzerland
Sep 30 Substage Karlsruhe, Germany
Oct 01 Essigfabrik Cologne, Germany
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Myspace / Twitter
Lyric video for “Count It All As Lost”
August Burns Red – Leveler (Deluxe Edition) [CD review]
Interview With ‘Jake Luhrs’ [August Burns Red] + Video Testimony [Feb. 2012]
‘August Burns Red’ Animated Video Released For ‘Sleigh Ride’ [Nov. 2012]
August Burns Red @ Effenaar Eindhoven 27-10-2012 [Nov. 2012]
Video Interview With ‘August Burns Red’ [Nov. 2012]