Grammy-nominated Lancaster five-piece AUGUST BURNS RED — JB Brubaker [lead guitar], Brent Rambler [rhythm guitar], Matt Greiner [drums], Jake Luhrs [vocals], and Dustin Davidson [bass] — have announced their new album Death Below. It arrives on March 24 via SharpTone Records. Pre-order it here.
“It’s no secret that the past few years have been extremely dark and challenging,” Brubaker says. “Death Below is here as a result of that time in each our lives and the emotions that came with it. We were motivated by uncertainty, fear, outrage, and triumph. I feel this is the darkest, most personal album we’ve ever written, and I couldnt be more proud of what the five of us made together.”
They have shared the video for the first single Ancestry, featuring Killswitch Engage singer Jesse Leach. Watch it here:
“Ancestry is a complex and technical ABR track held together by perhaps the most painful and personal lyrics Jake has ever written,” says Brubaker. “I loved this song in every phase since its inception. From the instrumental rendition, to the lyrics and vocals being added, to finally bringing it all together with Jesse’s anthemic guest vocals, Ancestry is a song we’ve been looking forward to sharing with the world for a long time.”
The album features additional guest spots from guitarist Jason Richardson, as well as JT Cavey of ERRA and Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath.
August Burns Red is likely the only metal act ever described as “thrillingly empathetic” (Kerrang!). It’s a testament to the ferocious band’s ability to recognize and connect with the mixture of brokenness and hope found in their audience and within themselves. A hard-working collective with a shockingly stable lineup for the vast majority of their career, August Burns Red pour every ounce of themselves into their music. Atmospheric, riff-laden, aggressive bursts of controlled chaos, filled with shifting time signatures and tempos, deliver confessional, self-reflective, and authentic emotion.
Tour stops with Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive, and Bring Me the Horizon; several major international hard rock festivals (Rock Am Ring, Download, and Aftershock, to name a few); and the Vans Warped Tour are among the destinations around the world to witness ABR’s live prowess. Massive headlining treks celebrating 10-year anniversaries for Constellations and Leveler
Revolver, who put the band on their cover the same year, observed August Burns Red “embrace the pain so well.” It’s a truth never more evident than on Death Below, their stunning ninth studio album. Recorded with longtime producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland, Death Below encompasses all of the pissed-off strength of the band’s past without sacrificing an ounce of catchy, melodic might. Death Below boasts guest appearances from ABR allies Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage), Spencer Chamberlain (Underoath), Jason Richardson (All That Remains), and JT Cavey (ERRA). “It’s getting difficult for the members of August Burns Red to keep one-upping themselves,” marveled Billboar