Written by Maddy Howell
Reaching album ten is no small feat for any band, let alone one operating in a genre as constantly shifting as metalcore.
For over two decades, August Burns Red has remained one of the scene’s most dependable forces. Not because they’ve chased every passing trend, but because the Lancaster, Pennsylvania quintet have treated each new record as an opportunity to refine, honing their technical, emotionally charged and deeply human sound into something undeniable.
Landing themselves two Grammy nominations and hundreds of millions of streams over the years, the band’s place in modern heavy music is no longer up for debate, but milestone records have a way of asking difficult questions.
For plenty of musicians, a tenth full-length brings with it the temptation to mark the occasion with a grand reinvention or a nostalgic victory lap. With Season Of Surrender though, August Burns Red have done something more powerful - they’ve doubled down on everything that has ultimately come to define their band.
“We just wanted to write a really good modern ABR album,” vocalist Jake Luhrs shrugs.
“We tried not to focus too much on it being the tenth album, but in the back of our minds, we obviously knew this was a big record for us. We want to make a statement with it, and we want to show people that we still thoroughly enjoy writing music together as a band. It wasn’t about straying from our path, it was simply about saying, ‘We’re a metalcore band, we’ve always been a metalcore band, and we want to continue being a metalcore band’.”
Their refusal to chase reinvention for reinvention’s sake is arguably what has allowed August Burns Red to reach this point. Never trying to distance themselves from the sound they pioneered, Season Of Surrender is a record that gets right to the core of what ABR are, then pushes deeper into that distinct identity.
Whilst it’s clearly rooted in their own history, there’s nothing complacent about it either. In fact, each one of these eleven songs feels like a declaration from a band who have found even more magic to uncover within the world they have built.
“This time, we chose to look inward. We wanted to take a hard look at what this band actually is,” Luhrs explains.
“Our band is progressive in its nature. We’re always learning, and we’re always trying to grow. We wanted to hone our instruments and our knowledge of songwriting. To do that, we broke some habits, and we set some goals. We worked more as a team than we ever have, and we would sit down with each individual song and talk about each section separately.”
Placing every song under a microscope meant that material was rewritten repeatedly throughout the process, every member determined to push everything as far as they could. You can hear that level of scrutiny and determination when you hit play on Season Of Surrender, from the stomach-turningly low screams on opener ‘Legions’ to the relentless intensity of ‘The Nameless’ and crushing weight of ‘Behemoth’.
“Each song has a particular feeling or emotion attached to it, especially lyrically,” the vocalist says.
“There are a lot of things you consider when you’re structuring where songs are going to go. You want the listener to have a journey of feeling and emotions.”
Whilst Luhrs has previously been accustomed to laying down his vocals across a week or two, this time he spent around two months in the studio, working with vocal coach David Benites to expand his technique and take everything to the next level.
Exploring everything from betrayal and self-sabotage to narcissism, grief and depression, much of the writing process was completed alongside rhythm guitarist Brent Rambler and vocal engineer Grant McFarland.
“You have to come into those sessions with your heart on your sleeve,” Luhrs explains.
“You go through an experience, you write about it, and then you bring it to the table in front of people who you trust. Together, you pick it apart and ask questions. You ask why you felt a certain way, and why you phrased things in the way that you did. You craft it so that the messaging can have the best pull on the listener’s ear, encouraging them to dig deep into themselves. It’s like a cool secret power.”
After two decades with essentially the same lineup, August Burns Red’s creative chemistry is built on unshakeable trust. Giving each other space to be creative, knowing that everyone involved understands the vision at its deepest level, that dynamic is what allows the gears to turn so smoothly.
“We’re all artists,” Luhrs nods.
“We all work hard to fine-tune our craft. On this album, we wanted to make sure that everyone felt heard and understood. It was important that all of their art, ideas, and opinions were accounted for and respected.”
That collaborative spirit extends beyond the band itself too, with Season Of Surrender featuring guest appearances from Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada, Jamie Hails of Polaris, and members of Aussie heavyweights Make Them Suffer.
“Mike Hranica is our homie,” Luhrs smiles as soon as the 37-year-old’s name is mentioned.
“We’ve toured with him and The Devil Wears Prada in the past… They’re our friends. We already know what that dude’s going to bring to the table, and I think he’s one of the best vocalists in the metalcore scene. He’s a legend.”
“He’s got this kind of sporadic sounding scream, and it made so much sense to have him on ‘Legions’. It’s a song that feels sporadic, and it’s all about narcissism and darkness. It was made for a vocalist like Mike.”
It also makes perfect sense why Hails would be top of the list for a song like ‘Sonic Salvation’, a high-energy track about the power of music and the way it can pull someone through their most difficult moments.
Then there’s ‘Cerebral Malfunction’, a cut which Luhrs had a very specific vision for.
“At the end of the song, I wanted this angelic voice to come in. It needed to have this calming effect, almost symbolising this heavenly being coming down to reassure you,” he explains.
“I told the guys that I wanted a female vocalist there, and they weren’t hugely vibing on it. I went into the studio, and I sang that part. Grant had a programme with different styles of female voices, and I tried out all of these fake voices until I found one that fit. We placed it over the top of my voice, and it sounded great. Everyone loved it, and I immediately got on the phone with Alex [Reade, Make Them Suffer] to see if she'd be willing to do it.”
“Her and Sean [Harmanis, Make Them Suffer] came in, and they knocked it out of the park. Alex had ideas for some other parts, but her voice wasn’t there on that day. She asked if she could go to the studio when she got home to finish it, and four days after she got back to Australia, she was in the studio. She recorded all the parts that she wanted, and it was incredible. I felt very honoured by that, and I have a lot of respect for Make Them Suffer.”
Really, everything comes back to one word which encapsulates every aspect of August Burns Red in 2026: purpose.
Approaching everything with clear intentions, and with a unified vision of which direction it needs to take, that’s a huge part of why this band is still here and thriving ten albums in. Equally though, it’s about a willingness to learn, and a commitment to remain grateful for every opportunity that comes your way.
“We have a lot of gratitude towards our fans and the position that we’re in,” Luhrs nods.
“Recently, I was at the barricade after a show, shaking hands, taking pictures and saying thank you to everyone. This guy came up to me with his son, who was maybe around eight years old. He said to me, ‘I just wanted to say thank you. Your lyrics have made me a better father’.”
“As someone who didn't have a good father figure in his life, that means a lot to me. It reminds me that this is where I'm supposed to be, and that I'm doing something that has purpose. Touring isn’t easy for us or for anyone we love, but when you hear people say things like that… It definitely makes it worth it.”
Ten albums in, August Burns Red have nothing left to prove, but they are still behaving like a band with everything to gain. Energised, focused and, perhaps most importantly, at peace with who they are - that’s where they find themselves with Season Of Surrender.
“This is us letting everybody know that we’re healthy and happy,” Luhrs finishes.
“This band is more locked in and united than it’s ever been… This is our home.”
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Season of Surrender, the tenth full length album from August Burns Red lands June 5th via Fearless Records. Get the album - HERE
August Burns Red extends the Season of Surrender Tour to Australia and New Zealand later this year with support from BLOOM and I Promised the World. See a list of dates and cities below.
