Rescue & Restore＜限定盤/Neon Organe Vinyl＞

Given the innocuous, almost helpful nature of its title, it's entirely possible to not be prepared for the stampede of riffs waiting to trample over you on August Burns Red's sixth album, Rescue & Restore. Despite the album's heaviness, though, the title is one that fits the tone of the album, which is probably best described as rhapsodic metalcore. Instead of just constantly punishing the listener with heaviness, August Burns Red allow their songs to really open up and soar, a quality they started to perfect on 2011's Leveler. Rescue & Restore, however, easily outclasses that effort (as well as their others) with its combination of technicality and dynamics making every song feel as though some epic event is unfolding right in front of the listener. By really exploring the progressive side of their sound, August Burns Red are trying, and succeeding, at breaking some of the molds that contemporary metalcore bands have gotten comfortable existing within. Songs like "Treatment" and "Count It All as Lost" have enough twists and turns in them that they can hardly be lumped in with the over-produced, paint-by-numbers metal that's being churned out. From start to finish, Rescue & Restore is an incredible leap for the band that should not only please the August Burns Red faithful, but opens them up to a wider audience of metal lovers. And after such a strong outing six albums into their career, the real question is where they go from here. ~ Gregory Heaney