Album Review: August Burns Red-Leveler

As I mentioned earlier this week in my review for The Black Dahlia Murder's new record, there are very few metal bands that consistently put out great records. August Burns Red is another of the bands that are in that elite company. They have continued to improve from record to record and Leveler is their best work to date.

Leveler is the most progressive August Burns Red record to date. Their last record, Constellations, saw the incorporating of some progressive sections, but Leveler takes it even further."Carpe Diem" is the most progressive (and one of the best) August Burns Red songs to date. The mid-section dives into a full on Between The Buried and Me-esque style which was really awesome to hear. The highlight of the progressive material here is on the fantastic "Internal Cannon". "Internal Cannon" starts off with a crushing riff, but then soon goes into a Latin-guitar interlude, which was a completely unexpected and fucking awesome surprise. Latin guitar is a pretty unusual inclusion (even for progressive metal bands), but it works here to perfection and provides a very unique experience for the listener.

Leveler is not only the most progressive work August Burns Red have ever done, it's also the heaviest. There are points of this record that border on melodic death metal. The incredible riff of "Cutting The Ties" sounds like something from an old In Flames or Dark Tranquility record. Other heavier fare like "Divisions" and "Pangaea" really caught be my surprise. I wasn't expecting to hear stuff this heavy from August Burns Red, but it's a sound that really works for them. August Burns Red hasn't completely abandoned their trademark breakdowns, but they have been cut down quite a bit. The good thing is when they are used, they work to perfection. Each breakdown completely fits and actually makes the song better (which is a rare, rare occurrence.)

Leveler is a damn fine record. August Burns Red has continued to improve as a band from record to record and this is their most mature/best effort to date. It's really great to see how much their sound has advanced over the years. They have become a complete force on the metalcore scene. This is the type of record that I can see August Burns Red gaining a lot of fans from. This is a diverse,heavy, and melodic record that should please a lot of metal fans from all over the scene.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Internal Cannon
2.Cutting The Ties
3.Carpe Diem