With every release, August Burns Red seems to expand their sound and individually the members push themselves to a new highs. “Rescue & Restore” finally is the push that takes the band from a familiar sound to a fresh new take on a trademark style.
The band’s previous LP record “Leveler” showed immense creativity growth in songs such as “Internal Cannon” and “Carpe Diem”. “Rescue & Restore” is an album that comes full circle with the band’s style, creativity, talent, and shows how much the band has grown since their early days in 2005. Every aspect of this album has been done bigger and better than ever before.
The first song, titled “Provision”, is probably one of the heaviest things ABR has ever written. Guitarists JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler are at the top of their game with this album, not only with their skill, but also with their creativity as musicians. Instead of going with drop C tuning and chugging away for an entire album, the band has switched up the key of most songs to add variety. It was also very appealing to hear Dustin’s bass tone more audible in this record. Personally, it makes me wish that I could hear more of his bass in previous records because he did a fantastic job on this one. The reoccurring theme I noticed with “Rescue & Restore” is the usage of clean guitars in almost every song, and Matt Greiner’s downplaying on the drums to slow the mood down. This by no means makes ABR less heavy, rather it demonstrates ABR’s expansive talent and creativity with their music.
Jake Luhrs absolutely destroyed my expectations for how he would perform on this record. “Leveler” was an honest and heartfelt record (more so than their previous albums) so I was expecting something similar to that. Some of these songs are my favorite ABR has ever done simply because the vocals are THAT phenomenal. Luhrs does not hold back what so ever. His talent and creativity with his vocal patterns has grown so much since “Leveler” and his lyrics are honest and inspiring. His vocal range has grown (once again) and I believe this album is his most passionate one to date. Faith is still very much a huge part of what August Burns Red stands for and lyrically the messages behind each song are extremely uplifting and encouraging to all. These 11 songs will absolutely kick your butt and have you hooked for a long time.
August Burns Red is moving forward with their music. This isn’t just metal anymore; this is art. This album has a distinct identity and feels more like “music” rather than metal. Some of these songs are the heaviest ABR has ever done, some are the most melodic, some are the lightest, but each song sticks to the deep roots of August Burns Red’s true original style. “Rescue & Restore” is August Burns Red’s best album to date.
9/10
- Ryan