Album Review - Leveler

[5/5]

August Burns Red never really fails in delivering metalcore masterpieces, they certainly raised the bar with Constellations and with their latest, Leveler, they've managed to set the bar even higher. As to be expected,  August Burns Red's technicality and musicianship take center stage. They even take that musicianship to a higher level with excellent spanish guitar interludes within the album's second track "Internal Cannon".. While one might think that a bit of acoustics like that would feel completely out of place on a particularly heavier and technical metalcore, they would be wrong in thinking that. They meld and fit into with the surrounding metalcore perfectly. In fact August Burns Red completely fleshes the usage of acoustics within the song out with a fully acoustic version as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of the album. As they demonstrate their softer more melodic side in Internal Cannon, the increased aggressiveness of the album really shines straight away within the third track of the album, Divisions. The track starts out mercilessly, but tastefully concludes with a melodic guitar solo. That aggressiveness is well evident throughout the majority of the album, featuring numerous bass drops and even death growls from Jake Luhrs. As mentioned previously, the deluxe edition of the album features an acoustic version of Internal Cannon. Not only that, it also features an indie band's interpretation of Pangea and a piano version of Boys To Fall. Those three tracks collectively represent quite a juxtaposition with metalcore stylings of the album itself. It's quite refreshing to be honest.

Top Picks: Divisions, Internal Cannon, 40 Nights, Leveler