With hard rock monsters AUGUST BURNS RED poised to release their fourth album Leveler, one of the most anxiously awaited albums of 2011, anticipation is hitting a fever pitch among fans of the Pennsylvania outfit. CraveOnline is here to help, with the exclusive premiere of the incendiary track "Internal Cannon".
Leveler will available in stores and online June 21st, and after debuting several studio-blog videos from the band's recording sessions, we're proud to deliver some brand new sounds from a band that's bound to make a permanent mark in 2011.
Have a listen to "Internal Cannon," a rocket blast of awesome that sets the mood perfectly for Leveler:
Leveler will be available in both regular and deluxe editions - a first for ABR. Explains JB Brubaker: "For the bonus tracks on the deluxe editions, we were able to collaborate with some close friends and amazing musicians. Our friends in the post rock band BELLS did an amazing job reworking our song 'Pangaea' and making it into something completely different. It sounds absolutely huge and we love it. Our close friend, Zach Veilleux, a virtuoso piano player, shredded a piano rendition of our song 'Boys of Fall.' Dustin and I recorded an acoustic version of our song 'Internal Cannon' with some mariachi flare and a ridiculous guitar solo courtesy of Jason Suecof. Finally, we threw in one of the original midi tracks from the Leveler writing process to give everyone an idea of how our songs sound before they get recorded. It's pure 1988 Nintendo bliss."
While AUGUST BURNS RED have never succumbed to the artistic trends in metal album covers, Leveler represents an even larger departure than fans have seen on the band's previous albums. The artwork, created by artist Jordan Crane, brings a striking comic book flair that the band wanted the artwork to encompass.
"What we were going for with the cover was an image of a house that had been destroyed by a natural disaster," says Brubaker. "The cover depicts a house that has been leveled by something like a hurricane. You can see the trees in the background are bent sideways from enduring strong winds. There are a bunch of chickens in the foreground who have come out of hiding to continue on with their daily activities. The chickens represent the calm after the storm. They represent life and the promise of a new day. The art has a real indie-rock vibe to it, which I like because while we're obviously not an indie band, we're not a typical metal band either."
For Leveler, AUGUST BURNS RED re-teamed with super producer Jason Suecof, the man behind the board on their 2009 breakout, Constellations, which landed at #24 on the Billboard Top 200 and has sold more than 90,000 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.
Tracklisting for Leveler:
1. Empire
2. Internal Cannon
3. Divisions
4. Cutting the Ties
5. Pangaea
6. Carpe Diem
7. 40 Nights
8. Salt & Light
9. Poor Millionaire
10. 1/16/2011
11. Boys of Fall
12. Leveler
Bonus Tracks for Deluxe Edition:
13. Internal Cannon (acoustic)
14. Pangaea (performed by Bells)
15. Boys of Fall (performed by Zachary Veilleux)
16. Empire (midi)
Check out August Burns Red tour dates for Summer 2011 on Page 2!
