August Burns Red have debuted on Billboards top albums chart at #11 with last week’s release of “Leveler”. That is a huge move for a metalcore band and especially a Christian group. I know it doesn’t take much to debut in on the Billboard charts these days but it’s still a bold title to claim and one that the band (and label) can be proud of. Read the full press release below.
June 21, 2011 – Leveler, the highly praised fourth album from genre giants AUGUST BURNS RED debuted at an impressive #11 on the Billboard 200, with total first-week sales of 28,535.
The anticipated album also landed at #1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock chart and was the sixth best selling album overall among the week’s new releases. Further, the ferocious album hit the #1 position on the iTunes Rock Charts.
Leveler’s commercial success matches the critical praise that the album has garnered from the likes of Alternative Press, Revolver, Rock Sound and more, in addition to high marks from dozens of other outlets (see select praise below). Vocalist Jake Luhrs can be seen on the cover of the upcoming issue of Alternative Press.
In a time when album sales across the board are declining, Leveler’s first week sales represent an industry defying 40% growth over the first week sales of the band’s 2009 breakout album, Constellations, which debuted at #24 in the Top 200 and has gone on to sell more than 95,000 copies.
For AUGUST BURNS RED, Leveler represents an enormous step forward in a career defined by steady growth. The band is currently on the road as a mainstage act in this summer’s Van’s Warped Tour, which will deliver them to nearly every major market in North America to bring Leveler’s sonic spectacle directly to fans.
On Leveler, AUGUST BURNS RED re-teamed with super producer Jason Suecof. The result is an album that pushes the band’s sonic boundaries in every direction, yet emerges as an unquestionably heavier album than its predecessor. It’s a game-changer, for ABR, and for fans of hard rock everywhere.
Brandon Jones is a 35 year old male living in Orange County, CA. with his wife of 15 years, 2 sons, 1 daughter and a bunch of animals. Brandon enjoys living a life for God, Family, Passionate music, the ocean, the mountains, gardening, and working in the Machining industry (Real Job). Too many favorite bands to list here. 
| jeff, 55m ago 
Hannah Rose
This City Awaits
Aquile (The Voice)
Victor Griffin and Jeff “Oly” Olson (IN~GRAVED)
Kingdom Band
RED
Tiffany Arbuckle Lee (Plumb)
Southbound Fearing
Matt Baird (Spoken)
CedEnough
Brian “Head” Welch (Love and Death)
Andrew Schwab
KJ-52
Lil’ Dre
The O.C. Supertones
A Past Unknown
Gideon
Memphis May Fire
Heath McNease
Belle Epoque
Loading ...
awesome
Wow! What a great feat. Good job ABR!
Keep making amazing music!
I always find it funny when press releases and a band say there’s a progression when there’s clearly not that much of one. Leveler sounds a lot like Constellations as a whole though there are minor, minor differences. Even funnier when they try to call it ‘hard rock’ when it’s still mostly metalcore. All the same, the album is solid.
Really? I mean, it has ABR’s distinct sound… but I don’t think it sounds like Constellations. To each their own, though. ;)
I agree with Loren…It does sound similar to Constellations, but there’s a good amount of stuff on Leveler that they have never done before…I would call that progression.
Haha I thought it was funny too that they were calling it hard rock.
The guitars didn’t seem to ‘Sing’ as much on Leveler as they did on Augusts previous albums, I found, thus leaving me with a different view on August. Not better or worse. Although I do miss the original, wicked, stand out, hit you in the face, guitar riffs.
Well that’s just because there isn’t a billboard chart for metalcore ;)
And I think it has a some similarities to Constellations, but they go even further with the progressiveness. Also, it sounds like he tried to stretch his vocal range even further on this album than previous albums.
I guess I’m just missing all this progressiveness. Doesn’t sound the least bit progressive to me. Sounds like ABR-style metalcore with the usual killer guitar work.
Maybe we just have different ideas of what progressiveness means. What characteristics define a band being progressive to you?
This may be due to my affinity for progressive rock but when I hear ‘progressive’ I think of unusual time signatures and sounds outside of the typical genres. You know, music that’s off the wall. I guess I got confused with their saying progressive as meaning relative to the sound of the music and not for the band itself. Either way, still sounds like the type of metalcore I expect from ABR. Nothing more, nothing less.
Let me guess, something like Lady Gaga beat them? At any rate, rad news for them!
See for yourself: http://www.billboard.com/charts#/charts/billboard-200
At least they beat LMFAO… >_>
Weird Al at number 9. Heck. Yes.
It pains me that they are getting beat by Jason Aldean =/
It pains me that they are getting beat by lady gaga :(
#11 is the exact slot you would expect for this band.
It really doesn’t mean as much as it did even five years ago, because fewer people buy albums today. Too much single-buying and illegal downloading.
For heavy music – and it’s a stretch to call this album heavy -, there is no overly popular radio or TV network. You gotta build your base with word of mouth and shows.
I think it would help Living Sacrifice to get an opening gig for Metallica, Lamb of God, or even As I Lay Dying.
None of those bands deserve to have LS open for them. :P
But yeah I’d say 11 is very good for a genre of music that gets no mainstream airplay at all.
So proud of these guys….
I was thinking, didn’t The Devil Wears Prada’s With Roots Above And Branches Below make it at #11(or something like that) when it came out??? (I could be wrong)
QUEEEEEN OF HEEEAAAAARRTS.
As much of an awsome album Leveler is, I don’t believe its any heavier, if anything I thought it was softer.
I personaly enjoyed their earlier ablums more than Leveler.
But still, all in all, Leveler is a great album!
Congrats August =D