August Burns Red - Rescue and Restore

I like August Burns Red. As I said when I reviewed Leveler, you know exactly what you're getting when you listen to ABR. That's not a negative. The band is consistently good. And while I've never been blown away or would consider myself a huge fan, I genuinely like August Burns Red.

Rescue and Restore is another solid outing for ABR. It's their signature brand of metalcore but the band takes the new elements from Leveler and adds to them, continuing to grow and mature.

It's songs like Treatment, which features a beautiful string quartet "breakdown" and Creative Captivity, which is more of a ballad than any of the band's previous work, that are real standout tracks and make you listen extra carefully. Spirit Break is my personal favorite song on the record. It feels like a hit song.  I can't explain exactly what it is, but when I hear it, it sounds like a hit.

The record on a whole is fantastic. There's great technical guitar and drum work, as there always is. The guitar solos are nice and tasty. And Jake Luhrs' vocals and lyrics are as strong as they've always been.

August Burns Red is one of the most consistent band's in metal and Rescue and Restore is another gem in a solid discography.