August Burns Red: Guardians Of Their Own Fate
There’s something to be said for the staying power of Pennsylvanian quintet AUGUST BURNS RED. Yes, their two Grammy nominations, and multiple appearances in the Billboard 200 Top 10 are impressive enough, but when you factor in that the band have also managed to curve the waves of the ever-changing metalcore waters – you get a real sense that the five piece, though possibly unbeknown to some, will leave a mighty legacy behind.
When you stare into the magnifying glass more intensely though, you realise referring to AUGUST BURNS RED solely as a metalcore band has become derogatory. In fact, they’ve been steadfast about straying from the genre for a while now, as guitarist Brent Rambler explains their reasoning. “I think it’s because it [metalcore] has been around for so long that obviously you’re going to evolve out of it. We just got to the point where were like – you know what? We’re a metal band. ‘People would ask: oh so what does your band sound like?’ you say metalcore, they say ‘what the heck is that?!’ [laughs]. I don’t think the word itself has become a negative connotation that people want to shy away from, but metalcore sounds completely different now to what it used to.”
He’s got a point, you could quite easily syphon metalcore into two categories: classic, and modern. And when it comes to modern, AUGUST BURNS RED have arguably been the most consistent, reliable band to ever don the straps of the genre. Though the likes of MEMPHIS MAY FIRE, OF MICE & MEN, and ASKING ALEXANDRIA often received more focus from the media – albums like Messengers, Constellations, and Found In Far Away Places meant that musically: AUGUST BURNS RED were unquestionable flag flyers.
The bands decision to sign to Fearless Records in the mid 2010’s could have been looked at as a potential banana skin. A label that, especially at the time, seemed to have their focus in a different spectrum to what AUGUST BURNS RED were sitting in. Coincidentally, this was the biggest selling point for all parties.
“They [Fearless Records] weren’t even on our radar back then [prior to signing],” explains Brent. “We had legitimate conversations with a lot of people, they were one of the last ones to come in the door and be like ‘hey, just sit down with us, and see what we’ve got?’ And they had the most impressive presentation out of everyone, they basically said: ‘why don’t you come and be our heavy band?’ so they quickly went from being nowhere on our radar, to top of the list.”
Even for a band that have achieved as much as the metal veterans though, looking back is arbitrary – especially when the band still have the power in stock to write records like the upcoming Guardians. Arguably one of the heaviest releases of their career, Brent speaks proudly about how the five piece felt the time was right to dial up the intensity again, after their last two records were focused more on creative expansion.
“Obviously the last two records we’ve done had a lot of experimentation in them like interludes and stuff like that, so we thought okay, how can this record be different, and fun? Maybe if it was just balls to the walls heavy [laughs], so it definitely was a goal for us, and I think we’ve succeeded”
On the concept of success, Brent shows an element of reserved humility. AUGUST BURNS RED have been comfortably self sufficient for a while now, their tours, records, and merch are consistently strong sellers, and they’ve become an example of what can be achieved when quality of music is put before creation of image. Brent recognises this, but still doesn’t let himself get carried away. “While band life can be really good for a minute, it only takes one bad record for everything to change,” he quiffs. “It’s hard to sit back and relax, because we’re self managed, we’re always looking for ways to push the band further and further because it’s ours, you know? I don’t think we’ll ever be done trying to push the band further.”
Perhaps most impressive when looking into the AUGUST BURNS RED painting though, is how their creative well is yet to run dry. For over 16 years now the band have generally released a record every two years, that’s not counting the occasional Christmas release, and flirtations with the Pop Goes Punk! compilations. While two year gaps between records seems like common practice now, the Pennsylvanians consistency has been air tight, they’re not in this position by accident.
There’s little chance for this to change any time soon too, as for Guardians, the band’s bassist Dustin Davidson had wrote a significant portion of the album before the band even started tracking. It was a first for Dustin, and adds even more power to the bands songwriting arsenal, Brent details just how great it was to have Dustin be such a figurehead for the record. “He [Dustin] is a ridiculously good guitarist, he wrote probably half of Guardians, and that was just him coming to life as a songwriter, so now we have that extra person that can write even more music, and he has so much untapped potential. He really blew up on this last record, he wrote so much material, and it’s awesome that he’s flourishing.”
When it’s all said and done, whether they were ever billed and lauded the way that they should have been by the media is irrelevant. AUGUST BURNS RED haven’t just left a mark on metalcore, they’ve left one on 21st century metal in general. And while you’d assume that their creative clock might be approaching its expiration, Guardians is proof you couldn’t be more wrong.
Guardians is out now via Fearless Records.
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