Metalcore band August Burns Red strive to deliver a positive message along with the forceful attack of their music. Their sound is technically precise, with carefully aimed volleys of guitar (both harsh and melodic) and howling vocals paired with rigorous, unrelenting rhythms, often employing unconventional time signatures. Along with the aggressive performances, however, ABR avoid the darker themes common to metalcore, instead urging their listeners to better themselves and the world around them. The group first found their feet creatively with their second album, 2007's Messengers; 2013's Rescue Restore was a success with both critics and fans, and earned ABR their first Grammy nomination; and 2017's Phantom Anthem was another effort that earned enthusiastic reviews and was a chart success. With 2020's Guardians they topped Billboard's Christian Albums chart before returning with 2021's Guardians Sessions EP.

Formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 2003, August Burns Red featured vocalist Jon Hershey, guitarists J.B. Brubaker and Brent Rambler, bassist Jordan Tuscan, and drummer Matt Greiner. The group recorded their first demo in 2004, when some of the members were still in high school. Later that year, a local independent label, CI Records, released ABR's first EP, Looks Fragile After All. Steady touring and positive response to the EP led to the band being signed to noted Christian metal label Solid State Records, which released August Burns Red's first full-length album, Thrill Seeker, in the fall of 2005. Thrill Seeker also marked the recording debut of vocalist Josh McManness, who replaced the departing Jon Hershey.

McManness' stay with August Burns Red proved to be short, and when their second album, Messengers, reached stores in June 2007, the group had yet another lead singer, Jake Luhrs. Bassist Jordan Tuscan also left the band in 2006, to be replaced by Dustin Davidson. With a stable lineup in place, Messengers marked the first time that the full band collaborated on lyrics as well as music for the album's 11 songs. Not long after Messengers was released, CI Records reissued Looks Fragile After All in a special edition with new cover artwork and a bonus DVD. Another look at the session for the album, Lost Messengers: The Outtakes, appeared from Solid State in 2009, along with a new studio project, Constellations. The group toured heavily before settling into the studio the following year with producer Jason Suecof. In 2011, August Burns Red released their fourth studio album, Leveler. A holiday-themed instrumental effort, Sleddin' Hill: A Holiday Album, arrived in winter of 2012, followed by the ambitiously technical Rescue Restore in 2013.

Found in Far Away Places, the ABR's seventh studio long-player, arrived in 2015 and featured a guest appearance by A Day to Remember vocalist Jeremy McKinnon. A single drawn from the album, "Identity," earned the band a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards. In October 2017, ABR brought out their eighth studio long-player, Phantom Anthem; the first track released from the album, "Invisible Enemy," would earn the group their second Best Metal Performance Grammy nomination. After establishing a tradition of playing special shows for the Christmas season, the band doubled down by releasing a second collection of songs for the season, the 2018 EP Winter Wilderness.

August Burns Red spent the first few months of 2019 writing material for their next project, and took a different approach than their usual process for the recording. Rather than record all the material in one set of sessions, they took a long break midway through to be able to return to the tracks with a fresh set of ears before completing work on the music. The result, Guardians, was issued by Fearless Records in April 2020, hitting number two on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart and number one on the Christian Albums chart. A companion EP, Guardians Sessions, arrived in April 2021 and featured the song "Standing in the Storm," along with B-sides, covers, and re-imagined tracks. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi