19 April 2012
As one of the few successful metalcore bands to break through their parent’s garage roller-door and land enough tours to ditch a day job, August Burns Red see themselves as a fresh sound in a scene of stale social media operators.
“As far as the scene goes I think it’s stronger than ever,” says guitarist Brent Rambler down the phone. “As far as the music goes though, it’s stale.”
Having just finished the band’s first rehearsal in hometown Pennsylvania before their third trek to the Southern hemisphere, Rambler is sounding off about the current overload labels face when up against the barrage of eager puppies begging for a contract.
“It’s so hard to find bands that are doing something different because there’s so many bands,” he says. “It’s easier than ever to be in a band right now. You can upload a song to the Internet and if the right person hears it you’re golden, you’re good to go. That never really happened before.”
After signing with CI Records in 2004, ABR were drilled into our conscience for reasons far surpassing the shocking back-story that shaped their namesake (it involves a cruel and vengeful ex-girlfriend named August and a dog named Red). Four albums of hard, fast, face melters and numerous world tours have seen the band build a solid fanbase who respect their music as much as their chosen faith - dedication Rambler believes stemmed from their 2005 debut, Thrill Seeker.
“For us people heard something different in our first record,” he says. “It seemed from the reviews that it got that it was something fresh and new. From then it just gave us such a good start and we were free to do whatever we wanted after that, we could progress as we chose.”
Choosing to progress with Christian record label Solid State was an obvious choice for ABR; having signed acts like Underoath, Emery and Norma Jean, the label’s distribution ties with EMI’s Christian Music Group provided the band with a global reach. Religious association also didn’t hinder the aforementioned acts’ career path, and as Ramble explains, it’s not something they endeavour to be identified with.
“Not every single one of us was raised in a Christian home so we’re proud of the fact that we’re not all from an upbringing where Christianity is the predominant religion.
“There are members in the band who are more conservative and the rest of us are more liberal,” explains Ramble. “For me, Christianity has always been about your own personal relationship; I think some people take it too far and I think as a band we’ve always tried to avoid that.”
Vocalist Jake Luhrs and drummer Matt Greiner are the band’s conservative Christians, both have created websites dedicated to helping others through their faith, which means Rambler can thankfully delegate when one-track interviews come the band's way.
“Every once in a while we get a person who wants to do an interview that is about nothing but Christian faith, and that to me is kind of annoying,” he says. “It’s like whoa, we’re not here to reason we’re here to play music! I don’t want to sit down and have a religious debate with someone, I’d feel very uncomfortable doing that.”
Interestingly, Rambler is adamant about his views on how religious artists should conduct themselves onstage: “I remember when I was a kid going to shows and had to listen to some guy babble about how being vegan was the best thing in the world, it was annoying. I don’t want to do that as far as religion goes.” But while you won’t catch his band preaching to their fans, you will find them defending their right to hear metalcore. “There’s always mums and dads who are in their fifties and forties who are like; ‘this is not what you should be listening to blah blah blah, no way’,” Rambler imitates with a lethargic tone, as if having to repeat the opinion of parents is in line with hearing it again.
“They can say what they want. I know when I was growing up my mum wouldn’t let me listen to bands like The Deftones,” he reasons. “Even though The Deftones don’t have any kind of bad message, the way it sounded was all she cared about.”
Having dealt with repression passed down through religious ideologies, Rambler understands the need to keep his band’s music uninhibited, but also wants to reach out to the unimpressed.
“I want to ask them why, and if their only response is because it sounds evil, I just want to tell them that just because it’s a different style of music doesn’t in any way mean it’s evil.”
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