365 Days of Metal: Staying On the Level

Day 2

August Burns Red - Leveler 

Band Origin: Pennsylvania, USA
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Solid State Records 
Running Time: 48 minutes + Bonus tracks on Deluxe edition 
Release Date: June 21, 2011  

Best Part: Acoustic version of Internal Cannon. 

Favorite Tracks: Boys of Fall, Carpe Diem & Empire

Grade: 3.0

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Leveler in 20 words or less:

For fans, it's Constellations with a cherry on top. For the unfamiliar, it's evocative, has tight melodies and breakdowns galore.

The Band:

Jake Luhrs, JB Brubaker, Brent Rambler, Dustin Davidson, and Matt Greiner have done nothing but push their own limits since the release of Thrill Seeker in 2005. ABR has released an LP every two years, have toured nearly non-stop between recording, continue to evolve their sound with each release, and pick up fans at every turn as they press along.

ABR's previous releases include: Thrill Seeker (2005), Messengers (2007) & Constellations (2009) 

Jay's Take on Leveler:

A great follow-up to their previous album, Constellations, this album starts off where Constellations took off, and takes it to a slightly higher level - no pun intended. Their third album showcases a clear evolution in the sound that ABR has built, and the overall technicality of the group. Leveler takes the core concept from Constellations and injects it with some new stylistic approaches, all the while staying true to their tried, tested, and emphatic sound. While perhaps not the great next step forward some fans were expecting, it's still ABR - and that's what counts.

Sample of the Day:



- J