Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for August Burns Red - Rescue & Restore (2013)
The sixth August Burns Red album (including Sleddin' Hill) really has a unique style from start to finish. Rescue & Restore is a continuation of the band's at the time decade-long experience. They've been clearly solidified as one of the more popular bands of metalcore and the metal industry with this 11-track powerhouse.
Rescue & Restore is... well it's like when you're training for a sprint; you have to go fast all the way and keep the momentum. DON'T SLOW DOWN!!! Everything's put into place, including the technical guitars, lightning-speed drums, and solid screaming vocals.
The opening track "Provision" is a clear example of that instrumentation, one of the heaviest and most popular songs on the album! The enjoyable opening makes the song an honest preview to the album's technicality. "Treatment" has some of the greatest twists of the album, first starting with the C minor key signature heard constantly in previous albums, then at the last minute switching to its exact opposite in the key signature wheel, F-sharp minor. "Spirit Breaker" starts with an intro similar to some Darkest Hour song intros but with rising and falling strings before starting the standard August Burns Red attack. That song also has a soft break with emotive spoken reading.
"Count It All as Lost" continues the twists along with the devastating breakdowns and aggressive guitars. Same thing with "Sincerity", which has cool gang vocals, escalating compositions, and an insincere breakdown. Metalcore sensibilities are compounded in frantic guitars and thunderous drums, maintaining the striking emotion within. The most interesting track in the album is "Creative Captivity", which does not have a lot of lyrics, but more experimentation than expectations. It starts with an eastern-like intro then later ends with a happy horn section. "Fault Line" is a song that should've been in Leveler because of the title and sound. The song itself shows their sound branching out farther than ever with different styles. They would go from crushing breakdown for one moment then an enjoyable melody the next.
The next track "Beauty in Tragedy" would really please the live crowd, putting existential dilemmas into dark melodic metalcore. "Animals" also has heartfelt lyrics of thoughtful, emphatic faith, yet it has more torrential mathcore influences similar to the Dillinger Escape Plan. There's also a chugging rhythm along with an impressive technical solo, showing an organic evolution in their sound. "Echoes" displays a broad sweeping sound of intimacy and has one of the memorable outros ever done by August Burns Red. That should've been the end of the album, but NOPE!! We still have "The First Step", which marks the true chaotic ending to this album.
Each song is filled with pounding music and fresh lyrics. The album is produced and engineered in flawless beauty. Yet another album that helps August Burns Red stay in their throne. Long live the Christian metalcore kings!
Favorites: "Provision", "Spirit Breaker", "Sincerity", "Creative Captivity", "Beauty in Tragedy", "Echoes"