August Burns Red Drop Hard-Hitting 'Icarus,' Announce New EP

August Burns Red's flurry of recent activity is resulting in a new EP dubbed the Guardians Sessions, and the band has yet another entry for the set to share today with the song "Icarus."

It's a pummeling, hard-hitting track that features a cameo clean vocal from bassist Daniel Davidson. "'Icarus' was a b-side from Guardians because it just didn't fit the vibe of the album," says Davidson. "I'm happy that our fans can hear it now because it's riffy and super fun to play on guitar. It's the first ABR song that I've sang on, and for fans of my side project, Best Case Scenario, I think you'll hear the influence sprinkled throughout this one." Check out the lyrics for the song below.

August Burns Red, "Icarus" Lyrics

Have courage to reach for the stars
Or to grin and bear it.
Accept who you are.
Find your place, stand your ground
And dig in for the brawl.
Go to war for what you have instead of searching for more.
You’ll amount to nothing unless you’re constantly in default.
We see that those who build are under assault.
Get lost in the grind or beaten in the race.
Either way you won’t escape without a bruise or two on your face.
Can you take a deep breath without it trembling?
Can you close your eyes and feel at peace?
You will find comfort in contentment, fulfilled in the settling.
The process has defined you.
The healing has made you stronger
Like an ancient home that’s been cracked and repaired.
There’s no shame in knowing when your journey ends.
Let stress turn into rest.
Your tension will relent.
Calm down, and let yourself begin to mend.
Trying to find your place in history is like walking an endless road.
The countless miles beneath your feet, they have only shape who you’ll be.
Without you our creations would be lost.
Without you our visions would crumble.
We must pay our respects to those who chose to stay humble.
Set your sights to the sun.
You will get burned.
This is a lesson you will learn.

Speaking about how the new EP came to be, JB Brubaker offers, "The Guardians Sessions EP was put together on the foundation of two songs: 'Standing in the Storm' and 'Icarus.' Those songs were recorded in September of 2019, when we were finishing up our album Guardians. Both tracks got cut from the record, as we had too much material and they were the black sheep of the group."

He continues, "When all touring was shut down in March of 2020, we began working on a couple of cover songs and re-imagined versions of some songs from Guardians. Those songs were recorded in the summer of 2020. We wanted to be productive with our downtime and work on a project that would be fun for both us and our fans."

"Icarus" follows on the heels of their recently issued cover of System of a Down's "Chop Suey!" and their metal-infused cover of the theme song for HBO's Westworld. The full track listing and artwork for the EP can be viewed below.

Fans will be able to pick up the Guardians Sessions set on April 16 in both digital and 10" vinyl formats. Pre-order the set here.