Oct 16

Oct 16 Show Review: August Burns Red Bring Intense 'Leveler' Tour to Berkeley

August Burns Red
w/ Fit For A King, ERRA, Like Moths To Flames
The UC Theatre
Berkeley, CA
October 14th, 2021

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

It was just a month prior that I was at The UC Theatre in Berkeley, CA for New Found Glory’s headlining tour. Almost one month to the day later, I returned to cover the opposite end of the Warped Tour artist spectrum with August Burns Red, who are currently out on the road in celebration of the ten-year anniversary of their album Leveler (released back in 2011). This particular tour brought out some of the best acts in the world of metalcore, with support from Fit For a King, ERRA, and Like Moths To Flames.

The show started around 7 PM with a vicious opening performance from Like Moths To Flames. To me, they’re a band that has consistently put out great heavy music, and for the life of me I can’t figure out why they haven’t gotten bigger in this scene. Chris Roetter is an incredibly charismatic front man, whether he’s performing in front of a small crowd as the first act or leading the masses during a set at a festival. After Like Moths To Flames departed the stage ERRA took over, bringing forth a performance that seamlessly combined technical metalcore, chugging breakdowns and atmospheric electronics as the crowd started to filter its way inside.

Fit For A King were main support, and they honestly put on one of the most energetic and best-sounding performances from a metalcore band I’ve seen in recent years, setting the bar incredibly high for the rest of the evening. And on a bill with a band as intense and proficient as August Burns Red, that should say something. I had never seen Fit For A King’s performance in full; several years ago, I photographed the first couple songs of their set, but had to leave as I was jumping from stage to stage to get all of the shots I needed. What I saw of their set that evening was great, but this…this was something different. They’re an act not to be missed.

Of course, August Burns Red put on a nearly immaculate performance in Berkeley. Their intensity multiplies with every show, while still maintaining a technical intricacy in their music that rivals those of their peers in the scene. The Grammy-nominated Pennsylvania five-piece captivated the packed house in Berkeley, playing their Leveler album in its entirety, followed by four additional tracks, three of which came from their most recent album, Guardians (“Bloodletter”, “Paramount”, and “Defender”). This show took everything that I had seen the band perform at Sacramento’s Aftershock Festival a week prior and elevate it to an entire level. One thing stayed the same, though: they closed with “White Washed”, a fan-favorite track from their Constellations album, featuring one of the most crushing breakdowns that August Burns Red has ever recorded. To this stay, it still hits as hard as the first time I heard it, nearly fifteen years ago. August Burns Red have come incredibly far in their career, and after witnessing their Berkeley performance on Thursday, I can guarantee that there’s still a lot more to come.

August Burns Red Set List
X
Empire
Internal Cannon
Divisions
Cutting The Ties
Pangaea
Carpe Diem
40 Nights
Salt & Light
Poor Millionaire
1/16/2011
Boys of Fall
Leveler

Encore
Bloodletter
Paramount
Defender
White Washed