August Burns Red - Rescue and Restore (2013)

Metalcore usually doesn't interest me, and after the painfully average BFMV record of this year I was hesitant to check this out yet the hype and popularity of this band pretty much compelled me to. Fortunately, I can say that this record blows the new one from BFMV clear out of the water. It's a very melodic record though not quite as much as Killswitch Engage usually do things. The songwriting is really tight without an over-reliance on breakdowns or emo lyrics. The vocals are awesome though some cleans might have made for a bit more diversity. The riffs and melodies are really good with the music sometimes bordering on prog and even occasionally featuring classical elements. Besides Disarm the Descent, this is one of the most technically competent mainstream metalcore bands I've heard. In all, it's a very solid record that should change many a metalhead's opinion about metalcore.

9/10