“From start to finish, Leveler is exhilarating… the quintet’s strongest work to date. (4/5)” -ALTERNATIVE PRESS
“AUGUST BURNS RED have crafted a signature brand of metalcore that challenges the genre’s status quo… [They’ve] set their own bar even higher on Leveler, and have done so for all the scene in the process.”
-REVOLVER
June 21, 2011 – After weeks of teasing fans with new songs from their highly anticipated fourth album, Leveler, genre giants AUGUST BURNS RED are proud to unleash the beast of an album on the public.
Over the last 5 weeks, the band revealed four standout tracks from Leveler that built anticipation for the new album to a fever pitch. Old and new fans alike eagerly consumed the new material, racking up more than two-thirds of a million plays across various platforms.
Leveler has been garnering critical praise as well. Alternative Press – who had annointed the album one of the “Most Anticipated Albums of 2011” – called Leveler “exhilarating” and the band’s “strongest work to date” – an impressive statement considering the critical and commercial success of the band’s lauded 2009 album Constellations.
Select praise for ‘Leveler’:“From start to finish, Leveler is exhilarating… the quintet’s strongest work to date. (4/5)” -ALTERNATIVE PRESS
“AUGUST BURNS RED have crafted a signature brand of metalcore that challenges the genre’s status quo … [They’ve] set their own bar even higher on Leveler, and have done so for all the scene in the process.” -REVOLVER
“By far the greatest album AUGUST BURNS RED have ever produced” -EXCLAIM!“Leveler has the potential to be another breakout record for the group, with a maturing sound and greater experimentation. Hopefully, this new album will help turn even more skeptics into headbanging converts” -METAL INSIDER
“The Pennsylvania quintet is more than just meathead metalcore, which they showcase demonstratively throughout Leveler… AUGUST BURNS RED continuously aims for the jugular throughout Leveler, leaving you much like the destroyed habitat depicted on the cover.” -ABSOLUTE PUNK
“The biggest risk we took on this album was not limiting ourselves to stay inside the standard metalcore box,” explains Brubaker. “If there was a part that didn’t sound like a traditional metalcore part we ran with it and made it as wild or unorthodox as we wanted. I think that’s one of the advantages to being on your fourth album. We have a dedicated group of listeners who are supportive of us trying new things and breaking some of the unwritten rules of metal. It’s a luxury we are very thankful for and do not take for granted.”
AUGUST BURNS RED will take to the road as a mainstage act on this summer’s Van’s Warped Tour, which will deliver them to almost every major market in North America to bring Leveler‘s sonic spectacle directly to fans.
For Leveler, AUGUST BURNS RED re-teamed with super producer Jason Suecof, the man behind the boards on their 2009 breakout, Constellations, which landed at #24 on the Billboard Top 200 and has sold more than 95,000 copies. The result is an album that pushes the band’s sonic boundaries in every direction, yet emerges as an unquestionably heavier album than its predecessor. It’s a game-changer, for ABR, and for fans of hard rock everywhere.
Additional praise for ‘Leveler’:
“AUGUST BURNS RED has done what I thought could not be accomplished. They have topped Constellations. This album is amazing on each and every imaginable level… All puns aside, this may be your album of the year. It maintains heaviness without sacrificing beauty. (5/5)” -THE NEW REVIEW
“This band has well earned their position as one of metalcore’s top bands… one of the best releases of the year (9/10)” -INDIE VISION MUSIC
“Leveler finds AUGUST BURNS RED at the top of their game, succeeding from start to finish at creating what is arguably their strongest, and at times most ambitious, record to date. (4.5/5)” -REVIEW RINSE REPEAT
“[Leveler] is exactly what our music scene needs… With the combined skill of these five guys the sky doesn’t even seem to be the limit” –HOPECORE
“[AUGUST BURNS RED] break new sound ground as they diligently push themselves further and progress faster than the rest of the metalcore pack… There is not a shred of doubt that these guys are quickly and accurately perfecting their trade. (4/5)” -METAL RIOT
“Leveler is undoubtedly an AUGUST BURNS RED album, but simultaneously manages to add new elements to the bands repertoire while allowing the band to enthusiastically and proudly prove to the Metal/Hardcore community that they are, quite simply, unstoppable.” -THE RECORD REBELLION
“AUGUST BURNS RED has aged yet not mellowed, writing their most intriguing and technically accomplished album to date. By choosing to incorporate their diverse musical tastes, they’ve spawned an end product that retains the traditional ABR elements while making full use of their maturity as songwriters… a truly spectacular record (4.5/5)” -MIND EQUALS BLOWN
“Balancing inventive skill and lacerating fretboard work can push a group into a pitfall of repetition… Each second of Leveler, on the other hand, goes straight for your neck (4/5)” -BLARE
“[AUGUST BURNS RED] have pushed the envelope and created another soon to be epic release (4/5)” -BAREBONES MUSIC NETWORK
“AUGUST BURNS RED has been able to conquer with every release (3.5/4)” -DECOY MUSIC
“For years AUGUST BURNS RED have been pushing the boundaries of metalcore in a way that hasn’t been seen since As I Lay Dying first showed up on the scene… AUGUST BURNS RED still continues to be at the top of their game” -UNDER THE GUN REVIEW
“Over the past eight years, AUGUST BURNS RED have continued to stride along their own path. Their latest endeavor, Leveler, shows the quintet once again breaking down barriers and creating songs full of character and vigor.” -ROCK EDITION
“AUGUST BURNS RED had a mission to create their most diverse record to date… To say that Leveler is just another typical AUGUST BURNS RED release would be just plain naive. (4/5)” -THE PUNK SITE Warped Tour Jun 24 – Dallas TX @ Gexa Energy Pavillion Jen 25 – Houston TX @ The Showgrounds at Sam Houston Race Park Jun 26 – San Antonio TX @ AT&T Center Jun 29 – Las Cruces NM @ NMSU Practice Field Jun 30 – Las Vegas NM @ Plaza Hotel – Parking Lot Jul 1 – Pomona CA @ Pomona Fairplex Jul 2 – Mountain View CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater Jul 3 -Ventura CA @ Ventura County Fairground at Seaside Park Jul 6 – Bonner Springs KS @ Sandstone Amphitheater Jul 7 – Noblesville IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center Jul 8 – Detroit MI @ Comerica Park Jul 9 – Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheater Jul 10 – Shakopee MN @ Canterbury Park Jul 12 – Darien Center NY @ Darien Lakes Fields Jul 13 – Mansfield MA @ Comcast Center Jul 14 – Scranton PA @ Toyota Pavillion at Montage Mountain Jul 15 – Mississauga ON @ The Flats at Arrow Hall Jul 16 – Montreal QC @ Parc Jean-Drapeau Jul 17 – Hartford CT @ Comcast Theater Jul 19 – Milwaukee WI @ Marcus Amphitheater Jul 20 – Cleveland OH @ Blossom Music Center Jul 21 – Camden NJ @ Susquehana Bank Center Jul 22 – Burgettstown PA @ First Niagara Pavillion Jul 23 – Uniondale NY @ Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Jul 24 – Oceanport NJ @ Monmouth Park Raceway Jul 26 – Columbia MC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion Jul 27 – Virginia Beach VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Jul 28 – Charlotte NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Jul 29 – Orlando FL @ Central Florida Fairgrounds Jul 30 – West Palm Beach FL @ Cruzan Amphitheater Jul 31 – St. Petersburg FL @ Vinoy Park Aug 1 – Atlanta GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood Aug 2 – Cincinnati OH @ Riverbend Music Center Aug 3 – St Louis MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Aug 4 – Council Bluffs IA @ Westfair Fairgrounds Aug 5 – Denver CO @ Invesco Field at Mile High Aug 6 – Salt Lake City UT @ Utah State Fairpark Aug 7 – Phoenix AZ @ Ashley Furniture Homestore Pavilion Aug 9 – San Diego CA @ Cricket Amphitheater Aug 10 – Carson CA @ Cal State Dominguez Hills Aug 11 – Marysville CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater Aug 12 – Nampa ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheater Aug 13 – George WA @ The Gorge Amphitheater Aug 14 – Hilsboro OR @ Washington County Fairgrounds
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