We've Forgiven You, So Forgive Yourself

On August Burns Red's 2nd full-length "Messengers" we get much of the same style though the bands influences are not as readily upfront. This album seems more focused on brutality and aggression then their previous effort, yet continue with the strong melodies.

"Messengers" starts off with the chunky, aggressive "The Truth Of A Liar" whose melodic elements are blasted apart with black metal intensity. "The Eleventh Hour" has the same black metal flourishes as does "Black Sheep" which adds a haunting element to the style.

"Up Against The Ropes" takes their melodic crunch to the level of death metal and "Back Burner" takes the death metal to bone crushing heaviness.

"Composure" is still kept despite the blistering blastbeats thanks to its moving melodies. "Vital Signs" are clear with The Chariot style choral bridge creating a powerfully majestic song.

"The Balance" is heavy and melodic, much like As I Lay Dying whereas "An American Dream" is heavy, fast and brutal and seamlessly transitions into the melodically moving "Redemption" which closes the album off and is one of the stand out songs here.

My favourite song, though, is "The Blinding Light" whose eerie intro leads into an intense black metal flourished tune both fast and emotionally melodic all the while staying heavy.

It seems to me that August Burns Red have found their groove in that both these albums are not too different yet not entirely the same. "Thrill Seekers" is more atmospheric (and heavy and melodic) and "Messengers" is aggressive (and heavy and melodic).

If you like As I Lay Dying, Misery Signals or Between The Buried And Me, then August Burns Red is a perfect fit.

Up next I'll take a look at Unashamed's "Reflections" album. Feel free to check out my review of their first album "Silence" here.