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is the ninth studio album from metalcore legend August Burns Red. Its release two weeks ago comes after a three year period since their last LP, the longest gap between projects in the bands 17 year history, and squarely in the middle of the covid-19 pandemic that has utterly disrupted all of our lives. While this album was completed prior to the beginning of this pandemic, its themes couldn't be more relevant if they had tried to write an album about it. A lot of this album will sound and feel familiar to fans of the band, but while there are some new elements, both the new and the old hit differently in the wake of the pandemic. This is an album that's more than just entertainment, although it certainly had me headbanging throughout - it's an album that speaks to our present circumstance, cutting through confusion and speaking succinctly to our hearts about what we're going through and about how to move forward.Let me preface by saying this "review" will mostly be an exploration of the lyrics in this album. That's not to say the music isn't great - it absolutely is, and I'll address parts of it here and there. But ABR always crafts awesome music. They have never crafted an album so cohesive and so effective in its content like this though. I typically don't break down albums song by song like this so this will be a much longer "review" than normal. Apologies but there was just no other way to approach this one.The album begins with three songs that use the same simple format to deliver a bold message.first introduces a problem with society, then asks a question about it, then suggests a solution to it. The second songuses the same approach just skipping the questions. The problemaddresses is American media prioritizing profits over responsible reporting, purposely twisting things to cater to one side or the other.The words are arranged and delivered with the same punch and and somewhat staccato separation as always with ABR, but when's the last time you heard them or any other metal band calling out the media? But instead of what doing what most bands do next, telling you how things should be, they instead ask the question of you.Other lyrics suggest that things have always been this way, but these lines suggest questioning whether it's in our best interest to let that go on or whether there's a better way. At this point they offer their suggestion,No moral grandstanding here, no saying what's right and what's wrong, just urging to go beyond surface level of what's presented to you and to do so in unity. Wow, what a responsible, reasonable yet legit revolutionary take - from a metalcore band! Maybe not subtle (read: extremely unsubtle) but there's something to be said about hitting the nail on the head.talks about our nature of withdrawing when we get hurt, and what we might do instead.Instead of lingering on this pain though, a different answer is quickly given,That goes right into one of the simplest yet catchiest and just sneaky best choruses ABR has ever delivered,What a response. It's not a perfect song, containing some of the silliest lines on the album,ABR has always had this knack for rhyming big, not even obscure words but clunky words like this. Thankfully that's not really an issue that distracts on this album apart from this part. Then the song ends in a strange, quiet bassline that sounds like the intro to a Breaking Benjamin song. Heretofore it's been their signature mixing of multiple guitars - solos weaving in and out amidst heavy riffs, with so far one hint of a breakdown - so this seems out of place at first but it offers satisfaction as it returns later on in the album.is the closest to a radio sing-along song from ABR that I've ever heard (although some of the guitar parts sound just like a Bring Me The Horizon song off their old album Count Your Blessings) and I totally dig it. It uses the same format as the first two songs but gets to the point even quicker.In this way it introduces the light of hope right away in the song before highlighting the darkness.(love that rhyme)is immediately answered byandThis song addresses how broken and powerless you can feel when someone tears you up, but urges you not to let others identify you by what they've done to you.So far I'm with the message, but I know that when you're feeling truly down that answers like this might seem unreachable and like an unrealistic way to think. Too much like platitudes. How the song ends though makes it clear that this message is different.Whether or not ABR is a christian band is a conversation that has been attached to them for years and years. They've said they're "a bandChristians" but reject the label "christian band." It's lines like these that show that despite rejecting that label, their faith shows up time and time again throughout their music. And it's what makes it more than just good music to put on to relate to when you're feeling down, but music that offers you a helping hand, the only hand that can truly help.sounds like an Underoath song. Not sure if it's the rhythm or the riffs or what, but I love it! The pace on this album has crescendoed up to here where we finally get our first big breakdown - and we actually get two of them. It's an interesting song about the struggle of making a difficult decision. The lineis apparently about a conversation he had with his dad about trying to make such a decision. He saysabout him. And that's good advice, which extends to friends too.But ultimately sometimes making this kind of tough decision feels impossible.If that line about the transcending love of a friend hinted at Jesus, the concluding lines definitively point to him.andA sobering reminder of what Jesus' love for us looked like on the cross, but also a powerful illustration of how dependable that love is. What an awesome awesome song!stands out in the middle of the album as a song that's written to a different audience. It's a song that calls people out and made me feel uncomfortable at first, but I think it's an important message. It calls out christian hypocrites - but the opening lines frame the song in positivity, not anger,(sneaky cool epithet)Right intoan obvious criticism of people who act like following Jesus will cost them nothing - reminds me of Luke 14:25-33. What is this selfish "faith" good for?I'm still not completely sure how I feel about these lines. They're provocative yet undeniably powerful, and I don't think spoken from hate or judgement but from love. Matthew 7:21 after all. It seems harsh at first glance but I think it's genuine. Most of the rest of the song is about people in pain but from a loving perspective,It can be hard to see so much pain ignored by people who claim to follow Jesus, but the song offers a clear solution that anyone can take. I have to quote at large here.This theme of loving by serving is straight out of the gospel and is interwoven throughout the entire album. It's powerful when presented with such honesty especially alongside such pain. These two middle songs are the highlight of the album for me.As the album progresses into the second half it shifts gears back toward society.is about when your trust in a doctor is misplaced and the pain that results. However the transition of topic is smooth - the last song was about hypocritical Christians, this song is about hypocritical doctors.There's a really poignant line about pain, a real classic ABR line,maybe not ultra poetic, but a nice double entendre that anyone who's experienced depression and anxiety (especially with a doctor who doesn't actually care about them) and tried to cope with drugs can understand. However, the song returns to the previous formula of pointing out a problem then supplying a response.offers the light of redemption once more.At the point ofI realized that there was noticeably less reliance on heavy riffs than I was used to from ABR and an even heavier reliance on those guitar loops - really highlighting the riffs during the breakdowns, which we get another great one in this song in. This song's about relying on friends through hard times and is the perfect followup to the previous song. Once more I have to quote at length.The next song,with one riff in the beginning in particular, really reminds me of an old Slipknot song. And this song is angry... at first. It contains violent language, the kind of thoughts you have when you've been hurt. The writer has said it's about their band, and other people in vulnerable situations in general, being taken advantage of by people looking to profit off them. Even still, the lines about fractured bones and severed limbs shocked at first, to the point where it felt like it was a different band - until the end. The conclusion is that when you've been used in this way, it's natural to feel vindictive at first but that revenge is not actually the answer.Again the theme of gaining strength from failure, of emerging from pain with new perspective, of trials producing perseverance and maturity return. This album is so consistent even on a song that feels out of left field at first.ByI finally noticed this reoccurring guitar solo that had been weaving in and out of the whole album. So just as it is consistent in themes, it's connected musically too. I found this song particularly relatable - it's about feelingI'm sure everyone on the planet has felt stuck in the past, and when they feel so about something that they didn't even really have in the first place that makes them feel even worse about feeling so bad... yeah. But, again the positive take about persisting. There's great thoughts aboutbecause if you can't take the pain of a negative outcome, you'll never survive to see the positive ones so it's better to withdraw. However the song shows that beingis something you can get past -The best part is the conclusion though.Showing that ultimately we paralyze ourselves and are unable to free ourselves - we need forgiveness from the only one who can forgive, God. Also the vocals on this track are especially brutal, some of the most savage and best I've heard from ABR.I don't care much for the penultimate songIt's... a strange song. The writer revealed that it's basically wondering out loud what it would be like if you were the first person to die to reach heaven. There are some fun lines here and there but ultimately it was kind of boring and thematically separated from the rest of the album. It did have an awesome breakdown that reminded me a lot of an old Bring Me The Horizon breakdown, but I would've left this song on the cutting room floor when composing the album. Plus then that would've resulted in 10 songs instead of 11 so, cmon ABR, do better.ironically named after Paul's bebodied head bouncing three times producing three wells apparently, closes out the album. It's a song about losing/forgetting yourself, turning yourself into just like everyone else, accompanied by a nice rhythm akin to Explosions in the Sky. It's about Christians becoming lost to worldliness. It says that even though we know betterThe linereturns to the problem-question-solution format that started the album. And the answer is clearly Jesus, with a hint of a line straight out of John 14:6,It's a bit of a strange song that ends on the repeated linewhich is delivered in an oddly haunting melody. It does have the effect of making you want to listen the the album over again, and thematically even if it's a bit strange it does provide a solid conclusion to the message of the album.This album has talked about a range of problems plaguing our society, and it doesn't pretend to have specific answers. It has talked about all different kinds of pain a person can experience, and it doesn't say to just put on a smile and live your best life. It doesn't give you what you expect from popular music. It points toward Jesus and humbly and lovingly serving Him as the answer. It says the pain won't go away and that when you're the one in charge of judging it's hard and you'll always fail but it's ok because we haveThat's the heart of this album, wrapped up in this screaming, thrashing headbanging metalcore masterpiece, and that's pretty incredible. I'm glad this album dropped when it did, because even though ABR usually deals with personal pain in this kind of way, I've just never seen them approach such complex societal problems as effectively as they have here. I find this album enjoyable. I find it inspirational. I find it cathartic. I find it comforting.4 out of 5.