Search - August Burns Red :: Thrill Seeker

Solid State Finds Another Hit [4.5 Stars]

LeftManOut | TheCityThatNeverSleeps, FL | 03/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"August Burns Red are one of the many bands who are riding in on the coattails of the huge Christian metal/hardcore movement that has been growing for the last 5 years or so. Now if this is the same movement that has produced bands like Norma Jean, As I Lay Dying, The Chariot, Still Remains, Haste The Day and more, it would seem there's very little to complain about. And that's exactly the case with August Burns Red. While their style is not at all the most original (Swedish influenced melodeath riffs, heavy breakdowns and guttural screams), August Burns Red brings a certain technicality and presence to their music that makes dismissing them a hard task to accomplish. "Thrill Seeker" is definitely a top notch metalcore release, even though the scene is overflowing with them, and fans of any of the previously mentioned bands should definitely lend an ear to ABR.



This band definitely knows how to play their music. The guitar work on this album is astounding. While there's been probably 100 cds to come out in the last three years that all have a similar sound, the sheer technicality presented by these guys is amazing. The opener "Your Little Suburbia Is In Ruins" is a bombarding composition of mathematical precision and odd time signatures, and full of brutal breakdowns that more than devastate when played to perfection. Elsewhere thrashers like "Too Late For Roses" and "Barbarian" give the sound a more melodic feeling, but don't relent on the heavy aspect. In fact every single song is chock full of dynamic riffs and uncanny technical ability. And to go along with such accomplished guitar work, August Burns Red has one of the most impressive drummers I've heard in metalcore in a long while. In fact he may now be the best I've ever heard in the genre. The complex patterns on "A Wish Full Of Dreams" and "Consumer" are not just good, they're downright impressive when listened to. It almost boggles my mind how a human does some of the things he's doing back there sometimes. And like most metalcore bands, boy does ABR like the breakdowns. What's more impressive is the way they work them into their music, as they are not simply the "chug-chug" variety, but incorporate many dynamics and new techniques which make them both refreshing and fun to listen to. While the vocals are pretty typical of the genre, they are as unrelenting as the music. They also maintain their power by resisting the urge to slip into the melodic croon that is overwhelmingly popular in metal and hardcore these days. There's no sappy choruses or cute melodies; ABR keep their intensity at the highest peak and don't let up. There's a bit of spoken word here and there, but that's as close to melody as they get. August Burns Red also gets more credit for the undeniably "progressive" feel in their music. Songs aren't the typical verse-chorus-verse style that's pretty standard for the metalcore genre right now. Don't go looking for repeated parts or hooks because the band does a good job of staying away from them. In fact I'd say that their song patterns are more accomplished than most of the other bands who would be lumped into the same field. Highlights include "Speech Impediment", "Too Late For Roses" and "The Reflective Property."



But as good as "Thrill Seeker" is, it's not anything utterly different from what you've probably already heard. When people complain about this band's unoriginality, unfortunately it's somewhat true because this style of music has been done to death. While the guitarists are both extremely accomplished and have a great relationship together, their riffs are a bit familiar sometimes and seem to follow the typical metal formula. The lyrics also seem a bit stale and formulaic because every single other Christian metalcore band is singing about love, heartache and religion. While sometimes they're impressive ("Your Little Suburbia Is In Ruins", "Too Late For Roses"), they don't carry as much weight as they would if every other band wasn't singing more or less the same thing. And finally I didn't want to do this, but I have to call attention to this band's undeniable resemblance to another Christian Metalcore band named Winter Solstice who released their debut album six months before this one on Metalblade Records. In fact I'm pretty sure if you played an ABR song and then a Winter Solstice song to someone who had never listened to either band before, they wouldn't even notice the difference. They just sound way too similar. I don't know if it was intentional or just happened by some strange coincidence, but to deny the extreme similarity between the two is not an option. Winter Solstice's sound may be a bit more melodic, but the root of the music still links these two closely together.



Overall though I'm not at all disappointed with "Thrill Seeker". If you like metalcore, then you can do much worse this year than August Burns Red. I'd recommend picking this up along with Parkway Drive's "Killing With A Smile" and Still Remains "Of Love And Lunacy", which were the two best metalcore releases last year. If you liked either of their two previous eps or you just like the wave of Christian heavy music that is hitting the airwaves, then this is a great pick up, as long as you don't mind hearing something that sounds kind of familiar. "Thrill Seeker" seeks out the thrills, and in many places it finds them. While it's not an absolute masterpiece, it's a fine debut and shows the sky's the limit for these guys. Chalk up another great year for Solid State."

Crap guys...

I F0rg0t My ABCs | Albany, GA | 12/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Crap guys...this CD is SO freakin heavy! It has some of the most intricate breakdowns and rhythms I've heard. They like to use weird timing: like going from 7/8 to 3/4 or something random like that. #3 is SO friggin heavy I flipped a switch when I first heard it. I love this band SO freakin much and the fact that Adam D. (Killswitch Engage, which I also recommend) produced this cd makes it all the much better. This cd is definitely a winner.

The most notable tracks for me are #1,3,4,7, and 8. #4 has one of the coolest little breaks.



Get this cd!!!"