Mind Equals Blown
  • Home
  • Music
    • Fast Five
    • 3 Of The Week
  • Film/TV
  • Photos
  • Podcast
  • Pop-Punk May Madness
Listen On Spotify
Album Reviews 12

August Burns Red: Found In Far Away Places

By Tim Dodderidge · On July 7, 2015


“The metalcore genre should always be tested and flourishing — and if it’s not — that’s the musicians’ fault and they need to do a better job,” August Burns Red guitarist J.B. Brubaker recently said about growth in their genre of music. On the band’s newest effort, Found In Far Away Places, it means moving away from familiarity and conventions, and diving deep into outside-the-box, thought-out musicianship. With this 53 minute-long monster, it’s obvious that a ton of thought went in, as what came out is the Pennsylvania natives’ most collective, crafty concoction to date.

Rescue & Restore thrived emotionally thanks to pungent lyrics and Jake Luhrs’ honesty both in writing and execution. While it marked a high point for the band, one perhaps only rivaled by the monumental Constellations, the instrumental potential it revealed kickstarted some thought to how else they could stretch the metalcore genre. As good as that record was sonically, it wasn’t perfect, suffering mainly from a lack of identity as a whole and vapid songwriting here and there. That release may have matched the frontman’s straightforward mentality, but its follow-up shows improvement in those areas with its stylistic complexity and brute force, both from track to track and as a whole. The entire disc moves like a mountain, working its way up to the peak by the middle and gliding down to the bottom in a chilling, yet refreshing close.

As the first single, “The Wake” provided the best inward look at this. As a song about taking better care of the environment, it leaves behind a “wake” in its guitar motions and precise drumming and acts as a base camp and tone-setter for the record. Following that track’s lead, both “Martyrs” and “Identity” are crushers about the effects of hypocrisy and selfishness on others, with the latter setting its sights on what it means to “stand firm” and find one’s self in a world that often says otherwise. The two meaty tunes follow the formula of building up, slowing down into a surf-style interlude, and then coming back with the super-tight, relentless energy the group has flaunted since 2007’s Messengers. That approach continues to work, too, as “Separating the Seas” takes a break from the stingy melodies and domineering guitar leads, allowing for Jewish-style instrumentals to speed things back into ABR’s full form.

The record continues to rise with “Ghosts,” its most personal offering. Left in its “wake” is a message about homelessness and what equality means from the perspective of the oppressed, and a craggy build-up allows Luhrs and the gang to chime in with an absolute musical bombardment. What helps with the song’s resonance is layering and expansion; A Day To Remember vocalist helps with this, as his cleans and screams add yet another dimension to the band’s sound. It’s obvious in this track — and the next two also — how much of a strength vocals are on this record, due to a focus on harmonies and textures that help the songs rise and fall with immaculate flow. On Leveler and even Rescue & Restore at times, the transitions weren’t as smooth as they are here. A lot of it should be owed to the way the vocals guide the music, and some of it, too, is the band fully embracing their tweaked style of metalcore and all of its scattered Western vibes.

Those vibes reappear in the second-half descent, with an enhanced fervor and visceral feeling incorporated into the songs’ deepest levels. “Twenty-One Grams” is the stand-out instrumentally, while “Blackwood” is a lyrical roundhouse kick, showcasing Luhrs’ ability to release sheer anger and provoke change as well as he  provides hope to the broken. Its post-rock-twinged melodies help drive home its attacks on the prosperity Gospel and the way it fails to effectively treat many important issues. “Grams” mirrors that track’s thematic relentlessness with a compact firestorm of metal tendencies, from Matt Greiner’s shaking drum hits to Brubaker and Brent Rambler’s glamorous guitar chugs. It all beautifully fades into angelic strings, setting up for a melodic finale in “Vanguard.”

The ender perfectly sums up one of the many things this album does well: surpassing conventions. Flipping the formula so well represented throughout the first 10 songs on its face, the song is fronted by a sonorous guitar solo and backed by a mix of cleans and screams. The change is most obvious in the dynamic it creates in correlation to the rest of the release. The quintet really stresses how all of the songs seem to play into the whole — not contrasting so much in compositional makeup, but rather working to the movement of the record itself. It’s why the textbook formula the band often follows isn’t a burden. Plus, with so many unique riffs and melodies, things are almost always interesting. Like Brubaker said back in March, fresh ideas and stellar songwriting are the keys to success in the metal genre, and the band’s fulfillment of these makes Found In Far Away Places one of the year’s — and perhaps decade’s — best metalcore records.

August Burns Red: Found In Far Away Places
Tim Dodderidge
July 7, 2015
9/10
Metalcore | Fearless Records
9 Overall Score
Found in Far Away Places

Metalcore | Fearless Records

A Day To RememberAugust Burns RedFearless Recordsjake LuhrsJeremy McKinnonmetalcore
Share Tweet

Tim Dodderidge

Editor-in-chief of Mind Equals Blown, I've been on staff since 2011 — before I even knew I wanted to write for a living. My passion lies in the punk scene I grew up in, and it's led me to a deep love for all sorts of heavy music. On the site, I combine both loves (as well as my love for film), shining light on true artistry in our scene. I'm also a lover of Chipotle, Cherry Coke, vinyl records, and baseball.

You Might Also Like

  • Real Friends Album Reviews

    Real Friends Search for Stability on New Album “Composure”

  • Listen On Spotify Album Reviews

    Blending Pop, Country and Soul: Dan + Shay Impress Again

  • Single review for Season 13's winner of "The Voice", Chloe Kohanski. This blend of pop and rock aims to keep her from being a one-hit wonder. Album Reviews

    One-Hit Wonder: Chloe Kohanski’s “Come This Far” Has a Deeper Message

12 Comments

  • Lyricsted says: July 13, 2015 at 5:11 PM

    Found In Far Away Places does work its way on you as you listen to all tracks few times. The songwriting and lyrics were alright with strong vocals.

    Reply
  • Zarine Khan says: October 25, 2015 at 3:21 AM

    The record continues to rise with “Ghosts,” its most personal offering…

    Reply
  • Tim’s Top In 2015 | Mind Equals Blown says: December 31, 2015 at 3:21 PM

    […] 3. August Burns Red – Found In Far Away Places […]

    Reply
  • Naveen says: February 11, 2017 at 7:40 AM

    beautiful & awesome article..
    http://www.lyricspoints.com/

    Reply
  • Lyricsmaya says: November 28, 2017 at 11:34 PM

    Nice music, loved it.
    http://www.lyricsmaya.com

    Reply
  • Smith says: February 5, 2018 at 12:52 AM

    Beautiful post
    http://lyricsmanager.com/

    Reply
  • Ladi bawa says: February 2, 2020 at 6:27 AM

    Found In Far Away Places does work its way on you as you listen to all tracks few times. The songwriting and lyrics were alright with strong vocals.

    Reply
  • Aman says: February 7, 2020 at 11:35 PM

    Nice Post Man i fall in love while reading post

    Reply
  • HOP LYRICS says: April 4, 2020 at 4:44 AM

    hey very useful article also visit my website: https://hoplyrics.com/

    Reply
  • InstaFinsta says: April 15, 2020 at 3:19 PM

    First of all Awesome Post! I am guitarist and you inspired me so much.. Thank You!

    Reply
  • download shorts video says: November 16, 2020 at 1:05 PM

    Nice post sir, Thanks for sharing great information.

    Reply
  • download reels video says: December 28, 2020 at 2:51 AM

    Nice Article.

    Reply
  • Share Your Thoughts With Us! Cancel reply

    Music

    • An Absurd World: Bright Eyes and Meaning of Our Own Making

      September 11, 2020
    • Living Through the Emotion Revolution

      August 27, 2020
    • Folklore Proves That Taylor Swift Has Always Been This Good

      August 24, 2020
    • Daddy’s Beemer Ain’t Scared of Nothin’

      July 22, 2020
    • Previewing the Rest of 2020 in Album Releases

      July 12, 2020

    Film

    • Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak Becomes an Eerie Reality as the Coronavirus Spreads

      April 2, 2020
    • Joe Pera Talks with You Is the Perfect Medicine in a Divided Time

      March 12, 2020
    • Everything Is Fine, and Other Takeaways from The Good Place

      February 26, 2020
    • Why I Picked Parasite to Win Best Picture (and Why I Was Right)

      February 11, 2020
    • Let’s Discuss This Year’s Academy Awards Nominations

      January 17, 2020

    Photos

    • Kansas City Fell For White Reaper This Valentine’s Season

      February 23, 2020
    • Thrice Perseveres to Put on Anniversary Show in Chicago

      February 10, 2020
    • Transcending with Illenium

      November 26, 2019
    • KC Bundled Up for Sweater Weather with The Neighbourhood

      November 20, 2019
    • Dreaming of a Plain White T’s Christmas

      November 19, 2019
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Press Kit

    Subscribe & Follow

    Follow @mindequalsblown
    Follow on Instagram
    Follow on rss
    © 2016 Mind Equals Blown All rights reserved.

    © 2013 Solo Pine Designs, Inc. All rights reserved.