“Will is such a talented vocalist with a wide dynamic range, and I think his guest spot adds a whole new element to the track.”
August Burns Red have released a new version of The Cleansing, a track from their tenth album, Death Below, which marked its first anniversary this year. The update features vocals by Will Ramos of Lorna Shore.
Dustin Davidson, the bass player of August Burns Red, detailed the equipment used during the recording sessions: “I used my signature model, the Kiesel DD4, to record ‘The Cleansing.’ I have since expanded on that model and now play my new signature model, the Kiesel DDM4, which is a completely different bass in almost every way when comparing the two instruments. ‘The Cleansing’ is a song from our latest album, ‘Death Below’, and at the time of recording that album, the DD4 was my main instrument. I chose it because, quite frankly, it was the best-sounding bass I had at the time. The lows are clean, the highs are bright, and that allows the bass to stand out in the mix. For the future, I’m very excited to get the DDM4 into the studio because it has a whole new level of clarity and brightness that I haven’t found in any other basses before.”
“I’m very excited to get the DDM4 into the studio because it has a whole new level of clarity and brightness that I haven’t found in any other basses before.”
This second edition of Dustin’s signature line brings several significant enhancements, adopting a multiscale layout that improves playability and tension distribution across all strings. The custom pickup configuration remains a focal point, preserving the Tritium pickups at the neck and bridge positions while removing the middle pickup to simplify the design. This configuration, paired with the sophisticated Darkglass preamp system, ensures a richer and more defined tone, offering clear advantages over traditional setups. The body of the DDM4, crafted from alder with a top wood of flamed spalted maple, contributes to both the aesthetic and the acoustic properties of the instrument, making it not only visually striking with its natural top wood binding effect but also sonically robust.
Dustin also described the broader set of tools that contribute to the band’s sound. “Normally, I’ll use my Kemper to start the recording process. My Kemper is what I’ve used for every live show that we’ve played since 2020, and the patch I use is a capture of a Sans Amp RBI in combination with a Darkglass B7K Ultra. From there, we’ll usually take the DI and mess around with plug-ins and craft a new tone, comparing it to my Kemper tone before making a decision. For our album, ‘Death Below’, we used Parallax by Neural.”
On writing bass lines, Davidson explained his method of integrating with the band’s sound. “In a classic ABR-sounding riff, normally I’ll match the guitars. If the riff is too intricate, then I’ll opt to hold down the root note of the section. Clean parts/bridges are usually spots where I can take the bass in a whole different direction, and often those are my favourite parts to write to. Reference the bass on a song from ‘Death Below’ called ‘Fool’s Gold in the Bear Trap’. Parts like those are some of my favourite sections to write.”
Discussing the addition of Ramos’ vocals, Davidson expressed satisfaction with the collaboration. “Will is such a talented vocalist with a wide dynamic range, and I think his guest spot adds a whole new element to the track. It was a pleasure having him as a guest on ‘The Cleansing’, and I’m super excited about how his guest spot turned out.”
The updated version of The Cleansing, featuring Will Ramos, is now available for streaming.
