August Burns Red - Phantom Anthem (2017)^{Release ID: 4141}

We've already come to the realization that August Burns Red has been prominent in the metalcore scene since 2003. We've expected them with the same usual metalcore formula with a few tweaks from their metalcore past to their more experimental present. Those tweaks are good because who would want to listen to a carbon copy of the same album? But even then, they still use several same ideas with the risk of becoming stale. If the staleness keeps up, they would have lower scores and the audience would dwindle to only the dedicated fans. Fortunately, their previous two albums received higher acclaim and even a Grammy nomination, thanks to the new elements.

Now about their eighth album, Phantom Anthem... Once again, August Burns Red delivers a balance between relentless brutality and sonic melody with this efficient 11-track disc. Having stayed together for a decade and a half, they're still a lean mean metalcore machine! While some boundaries are broken when they are meant to be, the band has captured the metalcore flag and kept defending from all that destructive criticism.

Opening track "King of Sorrow" shows a great example of that, unleashing lethal waves over melodic tides, with inventive furious riff-wrath from the two guitarists. The heavier side continues "Hero of the Half Truth", which is apparently about the national nightmare of Trump ruling America. There are some heavy bass-lines in "The Frost", impressively soaring over the Pit while having an uplifting vibe. "Lifeline" features more progressive guitar riffs and sections, all in a good amount of time.

"Invisible Enemy" starts with a few eastern sitar strums before breaking into a killer breakdown. "Quake" continues the band's perfect mix of melody and brutality, and it has an epic intro. Some songs here show vocalist Jake Luhrs trying clean vocals for the first time, most notably "Coordinates". The song itself has some twangy blues vibes.

"Generations" can kinda be considered an epic, due to its epic vibe, including repetitive choral chants. That's also used in "Float", another emotional uplifting anthem-like metalcore song. The last two tracks really go out in the bang, with the former track, "Dangerous" being just brutal, hard, fast, epic metalcore. The latter track, "Carbon Copy" is not a carbon copy at all! It's totally original, especially the unique lyrics that show concern about preserving the planet for the future.

After the more atmospheric approach to fascinating melody in their previous album Found in Far Away Places, this album Phantom Anthem is filled with pure metalcore power. With all this success and innovation, the music of August Burns Red shall be preserved for many future generations....

Favorites: "King of Sorrow", "The Frost", "Lifeline", "Quake", "Generations", "Dangerous"