Grammy-nominated, Lancaster five-piece AUGUST BURNS RED — JB Brubaker [lead guitar], Brent Rambler [rhythm guitar], Matt Greiner [drums], Jake Luhrs [vocals], and Dustin Davidson [bass] — release an instrumental holiday cover song every year. This year, they've chosen the classical track "Waltz of the Flowers" from The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and have given it quite the guitar-driven and metallic makeover.
Listen here.
"In keeping with our annual tradition, we are excited to reveal this year's August Burns Red holiday song," the band states. "We tackled the classical ballet 'Waltz of the Flowers,' taken from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. It was so much fun adding our spin to the timeless melodies written by this legendary composer. Hope you like it and Happy Holidays!"
It follows the September release of "Exhumed," which was another slab of angry music for happy people, as is expected from the ABR faithful.
Also, the 2024 edition of the band's annual Christmas Burns Red extravaganza is set for December 13 and 14 at Freedom Hall at the Lancaster Country Convention Center in downtown Lancaster, PA. Tickets, VIP packages, and hotel packages will all be on sale immediately at this location, with discounted Black Friday ticket four-packs available on Friday, November 29.
The Devil Wears Prada, The Ghost Inside, Gideon, Boundaries, Bodysnatcher, and more are set to appear, making it a heavy holiday extravaganza.
ABOUT AUGUST BURNS RED:
August Burns Red is likely the only metal act ever described as "thrillingly empathetic" (Kerrang!). It's a testament to the ferocious band's ability to recognize and connect with the mixture of brokenness and hope found in their audience and within themselves. A hard-working collective with a shockingly stable lineup for the vast majority of their career, August Burns Red pour every ounce of themselves into their music. Atmospheric, riff-laden, aggressive bursts of controlled chaos, filled with shifting time signatures and tempos, deliver confessional, self-reflective, and authentic emotion.
Tour stops with Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive, and Bring Me the Horizon; several major international hard rock festivals (Rock Am Ring, Download, and Aftershock, to name a few); and the Vans Warped Tour are among the destinations around the world to witness ABR's live prowess. Massive headlining treks celebrating 10-year anniversaries for Constellations and Leveler demonstrated the enduring relevance of the band’s catalog, nearly 20 years into ABR's storied career. 2020's Guardians debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Music, Rock Albums, and Vinyl Albums charts.
Revolver, who put the band on their cover the same year, observed August Burns Red "embrace the pain so well." It's a truth never more evident than on Death Below, their stunning ninth studio album. Recorded with longtime producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland, Death Below encompasses all of the pissed-off strength of the band's past without sacrificing an ounce of catchy, melodic might. Death Below boasts guest appearances from ABR allies Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage), Spencer Chamberlain (Underoath), Jason Richardson (All That Remains), and JT Cavey (ERRA). "It's getting difficult for the members of August Burns Red to keep one-upping themselves," marveled Billboard shortly before Guardians arrived. With Death Below, they emerge victorious again.
