#5 - August Burns Red - Identity
Speaking of familiar faces, here we find one of the better metal bands to grace the countdown in August Burns Red. The boys found themselves runner-up in the inaugural countdown with "Rationalist" and just barely missed the spot in 2011 with "Poor Millionaire". Their 2013 release "Rescue and Restore" was something of a step back in my opinion, with the track "Fault Line" being another almost track. While the album wasn't a total flop for me, 2015's "Found in Far Away Places" found the band on a new record label (Fearless) and with a new determination to throttle ears and bang necks. They absolutely did not disappoint. The album topped the US Rock, Hard Rock, Christian and Underground Album Charts while making it all the way up to #9 on the Billboard 200. For my money, this album is as good as anything they've put out in their career, with heavy hitters like "Martyr", "The Wake", and "Majoring in the Minors".
But it was "Identity" that really pulsed through my veins in 2015. The album features all of ABR's signature sounds - Jacob Luhrs' hard-biting lyrics ("I've never felt so free, and it kills me, to hear you say you 'choose to love me'. I was hoping that would be a given, given our history"), JB Brubaker's soaring guitars, and of course two crushing breakdowns that will un-hinge your neck and leave you blown away. There are some interesting timing changes early, but through and through this is a metal classic. "Identity" was the 2nd song ABR released online and I immediately latched on without even paying attention to the lyrics. The boys have such a potent combination of lyrics and music that they are seemingly unstoppable in the world of metalcore. This song, like "512" before it was also nominated for the "Best Metal Performance" at the 2015 Grammy's. The video features the band members playing in a bright, cartoony underwater scene where they fight sharks, are crushed by toxic waste and all end up as mermen.
Because why not? It's actually one of the more bizarrely entertaining videos of the year, and while it probably will not take home that Grammy, it's huge to see one of my favorite bands being nominated and (of course) making the countdown once more!
Title: Identity
Artist: August Burns Red
Album: Found in Far Away Places
Previous #5s
2014: Chvrches - The Mother We Share
2013: Born of Osiris - M∆chine
2012: The Shins - Simple Song
2011: Cold - The Break
2010: Matt and Kim - Cameras
2009: Michael Bublé - Just Haven't Met You Yet
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