To answer your question: no, their lyrics aren’t the gospel preachy type of “Christian” metal. Their lyrics focus a lot on overcoming adversity, facing your demons (depression, addiction) current events and many issues with society and morality. You can tell in their writing that they are Christians, but they aren’t out their screaming “praise Jesus!” Although some of their earlier work got close. This album is a wild ride from beginning to end with some beautifully placed interludes. I recommend checking out “Dark Divide” off of this album.
The song's amazing!! Thanks for checking it out Kaiya! Diehard ABR-fan of 15 years right here. I would definitely say this is one of their strongest albums, to cement themselves as being one of the most consistent classic Metalcore bands. This album is heavy, aggressive, dark, extremely well put together mix and sound-wise, incredible guest features, and the songs go together and flow into each other seemlessly when listened to as a whole all the way through. Personally, I prefer the experimental and riff-based side of ABR, and If I had to choose favorite albums, I would go with Phantom Anthem (2017) & Found In Far Away Places (2015), but it's hard to choose. For me, August Burns Red is best experienced live, and I'm so glad to hear they were your first metal show!! ❤🤘 There's nothing like it. Although I live in Scandinavia, I've had the absolute pleasure of standing front row barricade at their show 8 times, in 11 years, over here. They're out on their 20year anniversary tour in the US right now, and I couldn't be more stoked for my boys! Thanks for speaking so highly of my favorite band Kaiya! God Bless from Sweden! 💪 /Oscar
While the band members are all Christian, they don't identify as a "Christian metal band". They've said in many interviews that they don't actively push a Christian message, they instead try and incorporate positive and uplifting messages throughout their music mostly through the way of self positivity. Hands down my favorite band to every exist, whether they're preachy or not, every track just makes you feel good, instruments, vocals, and lyrics.
ABR is one of the most consistent and one of the longest running in the genre, probably rivaled only by Killswitch. If you want to hear quintessential metalcore, listen to the Caitiff Choir by It Dies Today.
The lyrics are painting a picture of how bleak the state of the world is, and how it's kind of our own doing: "Generations repeating the pattern", "a life of excess", "as the impoverished die", and the speaker at the beginning of the song seems to feed off of this "feel my pestilent hands", "my ruinous arms embracing you", "insistent on spreading my rage" so to me, it seems like the song personifies the consequences of how humanity's conducted itself. But the song obviously has that hopeful turn that you heard towards the end, which sees a new speaker "We/us" opposing the destruction: "Our time must not yet end", "This world is ours to tend." There is indeed an explicit reference to Jesus ("From the throne, to the thorns") just to usher in the last section of the song, but as far as Christian lyrics go, I would say it's more subtly crafted. And my favorite bit: At the beginning, there's the part that says "Come now, watch the fall" talking about our own destruction, but at the end it changes to "Come now, watch my fall" because the speaker (the antagonist?) is being defeated. Both sections have the same rhythm guitar pattern happening, but the version at the end of the song has a more filled-in lead guitar with a brighter, more hopeful melody. It's so well done and still hits me pretty hard a year or so later lol.
Envy - A Faint New World ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-p6uY5xG9nng.html Japanese Post Hardcore/Screamo/Post Rock/whatever genre people label them as and Code Orange - Swallowing The Rabbit Whole ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ctn14oYz0qA.html Industrial Metalcore two bands at the top of their game worth checking out
