Eleventh album, twenty-plus years of career, and the best aggregate of this batch: 84/100 across five reviews for Season Of Surrender. Kerrang! (8/10) says it plainly: « not only the heaviest album the band has released in years, but one of the best, too ». Sputnikmusic (9/10) is almost moved: « it’s just good to know August Burns Red is still here, kicking ass and showing no signs of slowing down ».
The agreement is massive on the essentials: the Lancaster veterans have lost nothing. Blabbermouth (8/10) hears « a band still feverishly reinventing themselves at every opportunity », Angry Metal Guy (3.5/5) praises a Jake Luhrs at his « widest range to date » and crowns « Den of Thieves » as « one of the best tracks the band has penned », while « Behemoth » flattens everything in its path.
The reservations? Metal Hammer (7/10) notes that by now « ABR may lack shock value, but they’re still effective », and AMG winces at a few clumsy lyrics, « Cerebral Malfunction » first among them. Nothing that dents the overall picture: technical metalcore’s safest bet just turned in a near-perfect paper. 8.5.