Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for August Burns Red - Constellations (2009)
August Burns Red is never like any band who wants to change their sound after a couple albums. This band prefers to keep their basic metalcore intact with some fine-tuning. That's good because making a different mix of sounds isn't always a good idea. These peanut butter M&Ms rather not be strawberry-infused!
With their third album Constellations, August Burns Red keeps going with their powerful signatures and sweeping. Does this band believe in Jesus? Yes! Do they believe in breakdowns? ABSOLUTELY!! You'll find more Christian metalcore songs with breakdowns in Constellations.
"Thirty and Seven" kicks off the brutal fury, with vocalist Jake Luhrs' searing vocals, and the two guitarists JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler shredding before a devastating breakdown. I sense a bit of a DragonForce influence there! "Existence" is a weaker song that doesn't affect the rest of the album, but at least it's elevated by another one of their uncommon guitar solos. "Ocean of Apathy" really stands out with layered rhythms and subtle complexity in this otherwise simple brutality.
"White Washed" is just filled with breakdowns! This is followed by "Marianas Trench" which starts with a gentle intro, before dropping into some more riffs interjected into breakdowns in a consistent pace. The next track, "The Escape Artist" ends with a delicate piano outro, which even though it doesn't totally suit them, it doesn't dwindle the band's fury needed for the next song. "Indonesia" is my favorite song on this album and probably the band. It is dedicated to David Clapper, drummer Matt Greiner's second cousin, who was a missionary killed in a plane crash in Indonesia. There's a lot of sweeping and breakdowns, plus a guest clean vocal appearance by Tommy Rogers from Between the Buried and Me. "Paradox" has some weaving guitar lines.
"Meridian" is still awesome, but the weakest track of the album. It's just a draggy 6-minute instrumental...well, not entirely instrumental. In the middle of the song, Jake Luhrs says and shouts some of Jeremiah's quotes. "Rationalist" picks up the riveting guitar work from the two guitarists. "Meddler" is an epic-sounding metalcore song with lyrics of hopeless rationalism. However, the 5-minute closer "Crusades" is a much better epic than "Meridian", finding an equal balance between fast and slow. After some insane intensity, there's a small blues break that builds up into an epic final verse. That marks the band's third album in a row to end on a perfect note.
Jake Luhrs may not have the most exceptional vocal range, but on each track, he unleashes an energy that can't be matched. Each band member can really master their ability while doing the same stuff they were doing in their previous two albums. The lyrical themes of drowning in isolation are vague and can be interpreted. While people think Constellations is redundant, it sounds consistent to me. This album would bring more current followers than newcomers. It is the band's pinnacle. Metalcore shall rule!
Favorites: Thirty and Seven, Ocean of Apathy, White Washed, Indonesia, Meddler, Crusades