August Burns Red is generally credited as a melodic metalcore band, and have also been said to share traits of other genres such as progressive metal, and thrash metal but blending it with hardcore, extreme metal and post hardcore August Burns Red songs have technical or odd time signatures and heavy breakdowns, growled vocals, melodic guitar riffs, and complex instrumentation with a variety of influences including Meshuggah, Between the Buried and Me, Poison the Well, Symphony in Peril and Misery Signals.
While the group has stated that they don't mind being classified as melodic metalcore, Brubaker has grown to a distaste in the genre's usual bands: "I feel like anyone who can pick up and play a guitar and learn to play a metalcore riff and any drummer who can learn to play a thrash beat over a breakdown is doing it. It's almost become very formulaic, and metal to me was never a formulaic genre."
August Burns Red was founded in March 2003 when all the members were attending high school. The original practice sessions of the band began in drummer, Matt Greiner's old egg house and basement on the Greiner family's farmland. After playing many local shows within Lancaster, they recorded their first EP, titled Looks Fragile After All with label CI Records in 2004.
Vocalist Jon Hershey eventually quit the band during the same year, which led to Josh McManness to take on the position as lead singer, and after several months of playing with McManness, August Burns Red signed to Solid State Records in 2005. Hershey would later go on to form instrumental post-rock band Bells. August Burns Red released Thrill Seeker, their first full-length album, on November 8, 2005. In 2006, drummer Matt Greiner was endorsed by Truth Custom Drums following the release of the album.
McManness departed from the band in 2006, exhausted by the band's constant touring. He was replaced with Columbia, SC resident, Jake Luhrs during the same year. Bassist Jordan Tuscan also left the band in 2006 for similar reasons as McManness. He was replaced by bassist Dustin Davidson, a friend of the band. The band's second album, Messengers, was released on June 19, 2007. Marking the debut for Luhrs fronting the group, it managed to become the band's breakthrough album, reaching number 81 on the Billboard 200. The album has sold a total of 108,000 copies as of May 2011.
Throughout 2008, August Burns Red toured with several acts across North America and Europe to promote Messengers. From April to May they toured with As I Lay Dying and Misery Signals across the United States and Canada. In September and October of that same year, they headlined a tour with A Skylit Drive, Sky Eats Airplane, Greeley Estates, and This or the Apocalypse in the United States. The band also visited Europe for a month-long headlining tour in November, playing in Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, The United Kingdom, Republic Of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and France.
After this series of tours, the band recorded two covers of popular songs. They recorded an instrumental version of the classic song, “Carol of the Bells” for the X Christmas compilation album, which was featured in trailers for the film, The Spirit, released Christmas Day 2008. They also recorded a cover of “…Baby One More Time” by pop singer Britney Spears for the Punk Goes Pop, Vol. 2 compilation album, released in March 2009.
On February 24, 2009, the band released an EP, entitled Lost Messengers: The Outtakes. It contains material that is related or was decided not to be included in the final, mastered version of Messengers. August Burns Reds' first trip to the Middle East took place on March 6, 2009 with the band playing at the Dubai Desert Rock Festival. The band's last tour before their next album release took place in the United States, where they toured with metalcore band All That Remains throughout April and May.
To promote their upcoming album, August Burns Red released several new tracks and a music video during June 2009. The tracks Thirty and Seven, Existence, and Ocean of Apathy were all released on the 15th, 21st, and 29th, respectively. A music video for the song Meddler was also released during this month. On July 7, a week before the album's release, August Burns Red began streaming the full album on their Myspace profile for a limited time.
August Burns Red released their third full-length album, Constellations, on July 14, 2009. During the week of August 1, 2009, the album charted at spot 24 on the Billboard 200. Another United States tour was organized with August Burns Red headlining and support from Blessthefall, Enter Shikari, All Shall Perish, and iwrestledabearonce. After this tour, the band joined a short tour in Australia with Architects in support of Australian band Parkway Drive. August Burns Red toured alongside Underoath and Emery in November and December 2009 as well.
The band released their first live CD/DVD, Home, on September 28, 2010. The group co-headlined an Alternative Press tour throughout November. On February 23, 2010, Constellations was nominated for the Dove Award for "Best Rock Album".
August Burns Red toured Australia and New Zealand in December 2010 on the No Sleep Til Festival. The band played alongside Parkway Drive, A Day to Remember, NOFX, Dropkick Murphys, Suicide Silence, Megadeth, Descendents, Gwar and many others.
On July 27, 2010, lead guitarist, Brubaker stated that the band would be taking time off tour to write their next record, On February 12, 2011, the band announced via their official Facebook page that they had completely finished writing their new record and that they would be entering the studio on Valentine's Day which, following into March of the next year, the band announced that the record was finished, and that it was (at that point) time for mixing. On the April 5, August Burns Red revealed the name of this upcoming record as Leveler. On May 16, 2011, the band released the song “Empire” as a preview before its release. They also later premiered three other songs: "Internal Cannon", "Divisions", and "Poor Millionaire", on May 31, June 6, and June 14, respectively.
Leveler was released on June 21, 2011 in two forms; standard and deluxe. The deluxe version of Leveler contains four extra songs, including an acoustic version of the song "Internal Cannon". The album sold particularly well compared to their other releases, with 29,000 of its opening first week-copies being sold in the United States alone. These sales had the record land at position 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. After the release, August Burns Red took part on the main stage of the 2011 Vans Warped Tour.
August Burns Red headlined their own "Leveler" tour on the first quarter of 2012 with Silverstein, Texas In July, I The Breather and Letlive. Later in 2012, August Burns Red embarked on a European tour with The Devil Wears Prada and Veil of Maya, and an American tour with Of Mice & Men and The Color Morale. August Burns Red released their first Holiday album, entitled August Burns Red Presents: Sleddin' Hill on October 9, 2012. On February 8, 2013 the band was officially announced as part of Warped Tour 2013 alongside Bring Me the Horizon, NeverShoutNever, Black Veil Brides, 3OH!3, Crizzly and Bowling for Soup.
On May 5, they announced that the album, Rescue & Restore was set to release June 25, 2013. The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. On August 30, they announced that they would release a documentary DVD titled Foreign & Familiar before the end of the year.
On August 5, 2014, it was announced the band had signed to Fearless Records and Found in Far Away Places would be available for pre-order on April 13, 2015 along with their new single "The Wake".
The band embarked on the Frozen Flame Tour from January 22 to March 8, 2015 along with Miss May I, Northlane, Fit for a King and ERRA, for 39 shows in Canada and the United States, sponsored by Rockstar Energy.
On December 7, 2015 August Burns Red was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Metal Performance Category for their song "Identity".
The Messengers 10th Anniversary Tour in Europe and the United States started on January 4, 2017 with supporting artists, Protest the Hero, In Hearts Wake and '68. On July 26, 2017, August Burns Red announced their new album, Phantom Anthem, released on October 6, 2017. The first single from the album, "Invisible Enemy," premiered on the SiriusXM Liquid Metal show the same day as the album announcement.
The Escape Artist
August Burns Red Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Close your open mouth
You're pushing more than you're pulling
Every word that you say
Open your closed mind
Close your open mouth
You're pushing more than you're pulling
Every word that you say passes through my ears
No one learns from someone they hate
Your mouth is like a grenade
No one learns from someone they hate
Your mouth is like a grenade
Blowing everyone away
(Oh)
How many have you pushed away, and how many have you saved?
How many have you pushed away, and how many have you saved?
Pick and choose based on a face, but it's all in the heart
Pick and choose based on a face, but it's all in the heart that carries weight
Don't judge until you've taken it all in
Cause in the end you'll pray to stay above the flames
Open your closed mind and close your open mouth
You're pushing more, you're pushing more than you are pulling
Every word that you say passes through my ears
Before it even escapes, before it even escapes
Open your closed mind (Open your closed mind)
And close your open mouth
You're pushing more, you're pushing more than you are pulling
Open your closed mind and close your open mouth
You're pushing more, you're pushing more than you are pulling
Open your closed mind and close your open mouth
You're pushing more, you're pushing more than you are pulling
Open your closed mind and close your open mouth
You're pushing more, you're pushing more than you are pulling
The Escape Artist by August Burns Red is a song about mindfulness and the importance of self-awareness. The lyrics suggest that we should open our minds to new ideas and perspectives, but we should also be careful about what we say and how we say it. The song describes the dangers of being too forceful or aggressive in our communication, and how that can push people away rather than bring them closer. The chorus emphasizes the importance of treating others with kindness and respect, rather than judging them based on appearances or preconceptions.
The song encourages us to be more mindful of our words and actions, and to strive for empathy and understanding in our interactions with others. It suggests that by doing so, we can avoid pushing people away and instead build stronger, more meaningful connections with those around us. The overall message of the song is one of positivity and personal growth, urging us to be more mindful and compassionate in our everyday lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Open your closed mind
Expand your viewpoint and be willing to consider different perspectives
Close your open mouth
Be mindful of what you say, especially if it may be hurtful to others
You're pushing more than you're pulling
You're causing more harm than good through your words and actions
Every word that you say
All of the things you express verbally
Passes through my ears
Is heard and processed by me
Before it even escapes your lips
Before you even have a chance to say it out loud
No one learns from someone they hate
People are not receptive to learning from those with whom they have negative feelings
Your mouth is like a grenade
Your words have destructive power
Blowing everyone away
Causing harm or damage to those around you
How many have you pushed away, and how many have you saved?
Reflecting on whether your actions have caused harm or helped others
Pick and choose based on a face, but it's all in the heart
Choosing who to interact with based on superficial factors instead of the true character of a person
That carries weight
That is what truly matters
Don't judge until you've taken it all in
Withhold judgement until you have all the facts and context
Cause in the end you'll pray to stay above the flames
In the end, the consequences of negative actions will catch up to you
Open your closed mind and close your open mouth
Be receptive to new ideas and avoid speaking recklessly
You're pushing more, you're pushing more than you are pulling
You're causing more harm than good through your words and actions
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BRENT RAMBLER, DUSTIN DAVIDSON, JAKE LUHRS, JOHN BRUBAKER, MATT GREINER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dr3amb3ing
Over 10 years later, still smacks like I listened to it for the first time yesterday
Kit Brown
ABR didn’t necessarily HAVE to go that damn hard at 2:45, but they did. They did it for all of us.
Kevin Brinkley
I love this album. I love this band. I fell in love with "metal" music when I got inroduced to ATR "All That Remains" but these guys kick those guys' musics in the nads. I'm Christian, and proud to say it, and I think it's great there's music out there like this. These guys are blessed musically and lyrically.
Kris_KWAS
@Killswitch_KEM Yeah, Fall of Ideals is in the top 5 Metalcore albums ever written imo.
Killswitch_KEM
I'm a fan of both and been listening to ATR longer, so I can't say I agree with you. Most likely you haven't listened to some of All that Remains best and heaviest stuff.
Chol .Yerlow
"How many have you pushed away and how many have you saved?" That line hit me hard.
destruction110
Im diggin the piano outro, really adds to the mood of the song. I like how a metal band can incorperate it with this type of song too. thumbs up for ABR. Great band, and even greater talent.
Jonny Zye
0:21 Every word that you say passes through passes through my *Guitar passes through both speakers* EARSSSSSSSSSSSS! I love those little nuances August Burns Red adds to their songs to make them more meaningful. Keep it up ABR.
blahblahblag
definitely my favorite song of the album, absolutely sick band, can't wait to see them live again
guitarmniac
Absolutely fantastic outro, amazing verses and lyrics, amazingly well produced. Another great ABR song.