August Burns Red with special guests We Came As Romans, Hollow Front and Void of Vision will be performing at Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines, Iowa on Friday, August 19th, 2022.
DOORS: 6:00 PM // SHOW: 7:00 PM
About August Burns Red
AUGUST BURNS RED — JB Brubaker [lead guitar], Brent Rambler [rhythm guitar], Matt Greiner [drums], Jake Luhrs [lead vocals], and Dustin Davidson [bass] — released Leveler: 10th Anniversary Edition on May 21st 2021, and are gearing up to take it on the road in September/October. The band re-recorded its fourth album, which was originally released on June 21, 2011, with special guests, brand new guitar solos, alternate tunings, and more. Leveler: 10th Anniversary Edition was produced, mixed, and mastered by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland at Atrium Audio. The vinyl was mastered by Will Putney.
"Leveler is a record we've always been proud of, and we wanted to do something special for its ten-year anniversary," says Brubaker. "We've done some cool remix projects for previous albums when they've turned 10, but with Leveler, we decided to kick things up a notch. We dove into this record and dissected the songs, rewriting solos, changing the tunings, adding new textures and elements, and got a few of our friends to do some guest spots as well. Our longtime producers Carson Slovak and Grand McFarland handled the recording/mixing and helped us take Leveler to new sonic heights. I think this is the best-sounding ABR record we've ever made, and it's going to allow people to experience the record in a whole new way. I can't wait to share this with everyone.”
Upon release, Leveler was met with near-universal praise. All Music claimed, "This kind of contrast between light and dark makes Leveler a wonderfully dynamic album that is musically engaging." Revolver declared that "August Burns Red have set their own bar even higher...and have done so for all of the scene in the process." Decibel labeled it "adventurous without the proggy aftertaste," while Exclaim! deemed it the band's best. Outburn lauded the "all-new level of musicianship,"" awarding it a perfect 10 star rating.
About We Came As Romans
We Came as Romans is an American metalcore band from Troy, Michigan. Formed in 2005, the band has gone through one name change and multiple lineup changes, and signed to SharpTone Records in 2016.
About Hollow Front
The words “hollow” and “front,” independently, can both imply a lack of substance, sincerity and passion. “Hollow” is somewhat self-explanatory, while “front” can be often likened to a façade or non genuine, staged version of one’s self. The point is that neither of the two, on their own, imply stellar things. Putting the two together is an even riskier move—however, when it comes to Michigan metalcore prodigies Hollow Front, it would appear that they’ve taken what might have otherwise been two negatives and made one Hell of a positive. Erupting from Grand Rapids, Michigan out of seemingly nowhere, Hollow Front have made a monstrous name for themselves within the contemporary metalcore community—in just over four years, no less—impressing critics and casual listeners alike with their blend of catchy, creative melodies and murky, murderously heavy metallic prowess. The result? An act that is neither hollow nor—for lack of a better term—frontin’ when it comes to creating genuine, grisly and intense metalcore.
Hollow Front’s origin is a humble one, as a metalcore act emerging from a humble midwestern city. Formed in mid-2016, the band broke water with their debut single “Speaking in Tongues”—a song that would go on to garner them attention enough to become prominent in Michigan’s tightly-knit and densely-packed metal community. It wouldn’t be too much longer until the band would release their critically acclaimed debut EP, Homewrecker. Packing catchy choruses in among aggressive breakdowns and scathing leads, Homewrecker saw Hollow Front filling a much-needed void forming as Michigan’s metal scene grew more and more divided between the extremes of heaviness and atmosphere. Homewrecker kicked off 2017 for Hollow Front much in the same way that it kicked off their entire career. Before much longer, the act would be playing with the likes of Veil of Maya and Cane Hill. As the band’s local and regional following grew, so did their worldwide fanbase—as well as their work ethic. Hollow Front would increasingly appear as regional support for large-scale metalcore acts while working on their sophomore EP, Still Life, which saw the light of day in late June, 2018. Still Life saw Hollow Front continuing along the path forged by Homewrecker, honing their dynamic to create songs that cut deep by virtue of voracious aggression yet still packed an emotional and introspective punch. Not only would Still Life’s success earn the band a boatload of Spotify plays and slots on regional shows and tours throughout the Midwest (and add to their physical fan base in the process), it would gain the attention of Fit For a King’s Ryan Kirby. Under Kirby’s direction, 2019 served as a year of growth for the band; releasing a deluxe re-issue of Homewrecker and putting in long hours on their debut full length release, Loose Threads, released in mid 2020. While COVID-19 put the brakes on touring in support of the band’s debut full length release, it certainly didn’t stop Loose Threads from getting the attention it deserved. Widely well-received by the press, Loose Threads would tack on approximately three million plays on Spotify in the few months following its release, adding to a sum total of over ten million plays for the band’s entire catalogue.
In four years’ time, Hollow Front went from an innocuous Grand Rapids metalcore act to a name recognized by enthusiasts of the genre the whole world over. Amassing a dedicated following and listeners from Michigan to Moldova, Hollow Front are among the latest additions to the UNFD Records family, joining prominent acts such as Architects, Northlane and Stray from the Path. With many things in the future hazy and unclear, one thing seems for certain: Hollow Front have only just begun to make their mark on heavy music.
About Void of Vision
“Since their burst onto the metal scene eight years ago, Australia's Void Of Vision have used their platform as a projection of anger, apathy, darkness and despair. Whether faithful fan or peripheral onlooker, the band’s previous recorded, visual and live performance elements made their bleak sentiments clear for anyone to see. Released in late 2021, the band's latest EP CHRONICLES I: LUST, smashed this perception.
The four-track effort, first introduced by singles ‘THE LONELY PEOPLE’ and ‘VAMPYR’ found frontman Jack Bergin expressing himself with an openness, clarity and purpose never before seen. While historically Void Of Vision has been an outlet for his internal angst and self-loathing, LUST, unravelled the beginning of a personal expedition to become a better human, embrace a new outlook on life, and at the same time lift his focus towards the issues and injustices in the world around him.
Now on over 1 million streams, CHRONICLES I: LUST sparked a new era in the VOV camp. With 'DOMINATRIX' at hand and the band's creative juice flowing in all directions, Void Of Vision are set to truly cement their mark on the heavy stage in 2022.”
Show pictured above: Young The Giant at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines, Iowa on February 16th, 2019. (Photo taken by Josh Hewitt)