August Burns Red - Home

Artist: August Burns Red
Album: Home
Release Date: 9/28/10
Label: Solid State Records

I'm not a big fan of live albums. To me, they aren't usually my thing. Well, I'm always willing to make an exception, which was not a hard choice to make after listening to Home, the new live album from Pennsylvania's own August Burns Red. Having seen their live show before, this album came as a treat to listen to, capturing their technical riffs, breakdowns, expertise double bass from drummer Matt Greiner and Jake Luhrs' heavy growls.

The intro track on Home slowly builds up into fan favorite "Back Burner" that explodes right away. Following up is a nice performance of "White Washed," that surprised me at how good it sounded compared to the studio version. I was a bit skeptical when "Mariana's Trench" arrived, as it is certainly a great track, both the studio version and from my prior experience of seeing ABR play it live this past summer. The slow technical buildup started off well, leading into Jake's brutal vocals. They do sound a bit distorted at first, but slowly got better as the track progressed. After the track ends, Jake expresses that ABR would not be where they are now without the support from the fans, and more importantly, their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite tracks was the mainly instrumental "Meridian," which actually happens to be the first time the band had ever played the song live. Another gem on Home would be "A Shot Below The Belt," which has a good, quality feel to it. I was also rather shocked at how nice "Composure" turned out, which "closes" the album, only to be followed be the band's encore, a performance of "The Seventh Trumpet," that opens with the words, "Do you guys wanna hear another song?" "The Seventh Trumpet" serves it's purpose, to close the live album in a memorable way.

Rating: 8/10 August Burns Red have done it again with Home, a great live album full of fan favorites that will be sure to get you moving. Recorded in the band's hometown of Manheim, PA, Home features songs from each of ABR's three albums, which all fit together nicely. Simply put, August Burns Red fans, welcome home.

Tracklisting:

1. Intro
2. Back Burner
3. White Washed
4. Your Little Suburbia Is In Ruins
5. The Eleventh Hour
6. Meddler
7. Truth Of A Liar
8. Mariana's Trench
9. Thirty and Seven
10. Existence
11. Meridian
12. A Shot Below The Belt
13. Up Against The Ropes
14. Composure
15. The Seventh Trumpet

(Buy Here)