August Burns Red - 'Season Of Surrender' - Review

BAND. There is absolutely nothing new, groundbreaking or shocking to say about August Burns Red that hasn't already been said and repeated a million times over the last two decades. Channeling the very same determination, beliefs and lineup synergy that transformed them into legendary scene veterans and S-tier metalcore cult heroes with unparalleled reputation, discography and legacy, ABR return once again for their eleventh studio record Season Of Surrender.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPdg5i_imo

REVIEW. Easily ranking amongst their finest releases, the LP feels like an anthology, a masterful blend of August Burns Red's achievements and lessons from previous chapters, and a deeply personal creation, supercharged with all the emotions, triumphs and tribulations of all the years since that iconic genre-defining Thrill Seeker (2005). Like all their previous efforts, Season Of Surrender isn't flashy, scandalous or radical but perfectly balanced, meaningful, and grounded. Proper Christian metalcore like it was always meant to sound and feel, crafted with contagious energy and purpose.

SONGS. A mixture of several standout ragers, festival anthems and new crowd favourites like 'Behemoth' and 'The Nameless', alongside a few restrained album tracks to add the necessary depth and nuance to an already complete experience. Add in the brilliant collabs with Mike Hranica (TDWP), Jamie Hails (Polaris) and Make Them Suffer, thrown between the disarmingly thunderous opener 'Legion', symbollic climax in 'S.O.S.' and the hauntingly cinematic finale 'Forged By Failure', and we have yet another ABR classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P4TAZFpROc

OVERALL. An outstanding release deserving of its praise and undivided attention. At this point, it really is hard to be surprised that a new August Burns Red album is good, but Seaon Of Surrender stands proud above the noise as a career highlight, and this is already saying something with ten solid releases behind it. Achieving such masterstroke this late is truly admirable, but doing so while sticking together and having fun is why ABR remain amongst the GOATs of the genre.

August Burns Red - 'Season Of Surrender'

Country: United States

Release: 5 June

Label: Fearless Records