Review by Saxy S for August Burns Red - Death Below (2023)

Yet another solid output from one of metalcore most consistent (and best) acts. August Burns Red are one of the best at writing catchy melodic hooks in their music, without sounding too much like a Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine or Avenged Sevenfold. They have always been a band that have toed the line of how far metalcore can go before it isn't metalcore anymore through some sporadic time and style changes. Death Below is certainly no exception to this rule, but even the albums most intense moments, these tracks don't feel like they are falling apart. Each moment is particular to the cause and gives the album a real sense of direction instead of just breakdowns. Clean singing makes an appearance on this record also and if there was any band that could benefit from pop shout choruses it would be August Burns Red.

That being said, it is still an August Burns Red album and it does have its faults. Most notably, the inclusion of two tracks on the bookends of the album of nearly eight minutes. I like how August Burns Red are embracing some more progressive influence here, but "The Cleansing" and "Reckoning" are in two different ballparks in terms of quality. "The Cleansing" sounds fresh and innovative, even if the off kilter chord progression can make me uncomfortable. "Reckoning" is less impressive, opting for a soft bridge for Spencer Chamberlain's clean vocals to pierce through. And from top to bottom, this mixing of the snare drum is outright distracting; when playing in half-time it can be tolerable, but when the drummer switches to double time or god forbid blast beats, the snare sounds like a brick.

But despite all of that, I cannot say that this is a bad album. In comparison to the plethora of bog standard chugg-chugg-chugg metalcore albums that get popular, August Burns Red are always looking to push the boundaries of what can still constitute as metalcore, and they have been doing this for a long time. The progressive arc is a welcome touch and gives this album a unique sound among the rest of the bands back catalogue and despite its length, it never feels like its overstaying its welcome.

Best Songs: The Cleansing, Ancestry, Revival, Deadbolt