Though perhaps best known as one of the heavy hitters of the American metalcore explosion of the mid-2000s, August Burns Red is a band that is arguably almost as well known as being the premier act in said musical movement to make a regular practice of bringing in the holiday season with a metallic roar, so much so that one wonders why they didn’t change their band’s name to December Burns Red. Tending more towards the mainstream-accessible brand of metalcore that highlights soaring guitar melodies, infectious hooks and a more symmetrical songwriting structure that places them closer to territory occupied by the likes of Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold, the blending of their signature style with the simplistic and time-tested tunes associated with Christmas in a live setting seems a veritable match made in heaven, even if lead guitarist JB Brubaker’s penchant for toting flip-flops on stage runs a bit contrary to the idea of walking through a winter wonderland.
Ever since this band’s 2012 studio foray into the practice of adapting holiday tunes to their metallic presentation dubbed “August Burns Red Presents: Sleddin’ Hill”, it’s become something of a tradition for this outfit to give a Christmas themed performance that includes several selections from said album. However, the advent of 2020 has seen this ritual adapted to the medium of online streaming, and the manner in which this event was put forth compares a fair bit to the various yuletide television specials many of us grew up with in the 70s and 80s. The overture for this undertaking proved an elaborate one, beginning with the stage being shown empty to the premier of a recorded cover of System Of A Down’s “Chop Suey!” that has since been made available online as of December 15th, which is immediately followed by a parody version of “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas”, featuring descriptions of the band members being read in a tongue-in-cheek fashion by Bubba Wallace in a living room near a roaring fire.
The live performance that would follow can be best described as an exercise in sheer enthusiasm, as if a quintet of eager elementary school aged boys were about to tear into their gifts on Christmas morning. The set list consisted primarily of material from their more recent studio releases, though time was allotted to cover at least one song from each album going back to 2007’s “Messengers”, with the grueling set being spaced out by three strategically placed instrumentals off the Sleddin’ Hill album to give vocalist Jake Luhrs some needed respites from screaming his lungs out. Each member of the fold proved to be as engaged as if they were playing to a crowd of several thousands in person, and the booming of the live chat carried the implicit roar in response to Luhrs’ hyped bits in between each song. However, if one person could be credited with stealing the show, it would be that of drummer Matt Greiner, who executed each beat with the precision of a seasoned combat soldier and made a substantial ruckus during his drum solo during the show’s encore.
In addition to being a festive and occasionally comical affair complete with Christmas trees lining the sides of the stage and most of the fold toting red stocking caps, this performance was an exercise in consistency that matched the band’s highly stylized approach. Generally the material tended to exude a sense of coldness and melancholy more suited to a winter storm minus the decked out halls, which tends to go with a sound that combines the somber melodic guitar approach of the Gothenburg sound and the deep chugging breakdowns of the accompanying hardcore trappings, but the enthusiasm of the performers made it a cheery event nonetheless. Though no song on the list proved to be wanting to any degree, the highlight moments occurred at the conclusion, with the band’s bombastic rendition of “Carol Of The Bells” and the 2009 fan favorite “White Washed” truly capturing the dueling character of the rest of the anthems heard earlier on. Overall, a flawless and energetic holiday special event, one that fans of the metal scene were happy to find under the tree 13 days early, specially in a year which has been anything but traditional and kind to the music scene. Bravo.
AUGUST BURN RED Setlist:
Flurries / King of Sorrow / Provision / Paramount (Live debut) / The Frost / Invisible Enemy / Defender / Marianas Trench / Winter Wilderness / Ties That Bind (Live debut) / Bloodletter (Live debut) / Composure / Empire / Ghosts
Encore:
Drum Solo / Carol of the Bells (Mykola Leontovych cover) / White Washed
