August Burns Red‘s new EP Phantom Sessions became available for purchase on 8 February. This EP was not quite what I was expecting, although I am not super familiar with this band, my husband is a huge fan. This is going to show off how little I know about metal music.
“Midnight” is one of the few songs on the album with vocals, which I found interesting. Although I don’t usually listen to August Burns Red, because Metalcore is not one of my most favorite genres, I do like the song. I especially like the guitar parts throughout the entire song. Don’t ask me what the lyrics are about though, I couldn’t tell you without looking them up. It’ll take me a couple of listens to get them, but that just means I have to listen to this cool album again and again until I get it.
The most exciting thing about this album is that the band teamed up with Nerdist to premiere their guitar play through cover of “The Legend of Zelda‘s” theme song. Here’s the thing… it’s not just a play through of the original theme song, but it’s a mash-up of that and other pieces from the game. I really liked the cover, and if you haven’t seen the music video, I think you should check it out.
“… and since the dungeon theme flirts with the diminished scale, it just made sense to put it into a metal cover,” the bassist Dustin Davidson explained. The game holds special meaning to him, not only did he play the game with his brother on the SNES growing up, but they also played with their mother. Which I think is beyond awesome.
“Laniakea” was interesting to me. It started off pretty slow and peaceful, which was a nice surprise. Even once the music picked up, it still was pretty peaceful. There were some background screams that I noticed, but other than that I enjoyed the mostly instrumental piece.
“Coordinates” was a more fast paced instrumental song that was also very enjoyable. I liked the guitar melody in the beginning. This is definitely a song that I could listen to on repeat when trying to get my writing done.
“The Frost” was originally released on their album Phantom Anthem, which was released in 2017. This is a Midi version of the song. I had to go listen to the original version of the song before re-listening to the Midi version, so I could understand the difference in the two versions. I apparently need to learn more about music (outside of singing). It’s an interesting take on the song, but I personally prefer the original.
Overall, this is an interesting album to me and one that I will be listening to again. I think it’s a great introduction to the band if you aren’t familiar like me, because it gives you a little taste of their original sound as well as something to really peak your interest if you’re a nerd like me when it comes to their cover of The Legend of Zelda. Definitely check it out!
The band is currently headlining “The Dangerous Tour“ alongside Fit For A King, Miss May I, and Crystal Lake. Their remaining tour dates can be found on their website as well as their Facebook page!
THE PHANTOM SESSIONS EP TRACK LISTING:
“Midnight”
“The Legend of Zelda”
“Laniakea”
“Coordinates” (Reprise)
“The Frost” (Midi Version)
