The stepping stones for this occasion first involved a bit of taking stock. "We wanted to collectively, as a band, sit down and talk about the direction we want to go," he remembers. The freedom that lay before them, in reality, was no different from any of their previous efforts. But they toyed with how to approach things: did they want to explore new avenues, or follow the well-trodden path? The answer is far more succinct.

"We wanted to write the best modern August Burns Red record we possibly could," Jake confirms. "As a band, over 20 years, we have worked really hard to establish ourselves and be in the position we are today, and so instead of looking outwardly, we looked internally and had to go deeper into the roots of what August Burns Red is."

Those roots take the form of two threads of thought. The first is the tangible. The technicality that creates the architecture of their vicious sounds. The second is what they stand for. "We want to be a band that brings light, or positivity, or encouragement, to resonate with the challenges of life, while knowing that there's something more, something greater," he says.

For Jake, that began when he first found music, particularly the punk and hardcore scene. "The whole reason why I was attracted to it was because it sounded angry, but then when you open the door, you realise that everybody in this room is just unique but they're going through life, and life is not kind to people who don't want to submit to the world."

In the same way, the collision of beliefs and aesthetics that came together in those early days, Jake's journey with August Burns Red has been trying to emulate it. "I want to be a positive force because I know that life is not kind. I know that the world is trying to bend you and make you submit to it, so I want you to have something. This is my gift to you, and the gift you've given me is letting me do that."

Continuing, he elaborates on what being the frontman means to him. "It's having an opportunity to share my experiences, and my life, by being vulnerable or transparent, and having the fun and joy, and also pain, of articulating stories and experiences for the sake of, and hope for others being able to use it for good in their own personal life. It's an honour, and it's absolutely a part of my purpose."

Over time, they've come to be a source of power for their listeners. They're the kind of band that clicks when you need them. The torrents of Jake's guttural vocals, the bombardment of instruments, it all comes together to encourage this basis. "We're storytellers, we're encouragers, we want our music to make people feel something, we want you to gravitate towards it and resonate with it," Jake explains.

For 'Season of Surrender', it was crafted so that each song is a topic that you can relate to mentally and spiritually to recognise, "Like, is there something more for me than this, am I limiting myself by believing some of the things that I believe?" It's a progressive nature that often gets overlooked in the heavier scenes, but August Burns Red have always keenly marched to the beat of their own drum.

When it comes to progressing things musically, August Burns Red have found their niche and have done well to keep it from going stale. They're always hunting for the best version they can be. "I don't think that anyone's ever been scared to push themselves," Jake admits. "We all have a very high standard for ourselves individually and as a band."

He boils it down to two ideas: fear and pride. The fear stems from a "lack of excellence" or not striving to be the best group they can be. "It's a record, right, and it dictates the course of your career; it's not something that you should take lightly, but pride can be a thing that gets in the way," he says on the second point. Especially for a band, pride or ego can be a death knell. The moment one person becomes out of sync with the serendipity of a group, things can go south, fast.

"There are a lot of times where I've had to push my pride aside and say, 'Hey, man, you need to check yourself'," he admits. "But when you peel back everything in those instances, you realise that it's out of a place of love, it's out of a place of desire, it's out of a place of wanting to feel heard or wanting to create something great."

More than anything, August Burns Red are survivors - especially in the often tumultuous world of metalcore, where band members come and go with the wind, they've been the same lineup for twenty years. That doesn't always mean it's been plain sailing.

"We're human," Jake shrugs. "I'll speak for myself, but there's definitely been lulls in my career where maybe I wasn't feeling it, or personal stuff in my life was getting out of hand, or crazy, so you try to navigate the water as best as you can. And when you're going through a difficult time, or you need some space, or you need to do something, you've got four other guys who have your back."

This is the crux of what's kept them going. They see themselves as greater than the sum of their parts. For them, as well as their fans, August Burns Red has become a familial affair. They've gone from being youngsters in their late teens and early twenties to full-grown adults who've amassed more than they could've ever dreamed back home in Lancaster.

"We started when we were kids, so there's so much growth and maturity and individually evolving, and we're a very dynamic group of people, we don't all see the world the same way, but we've learned to love each other where we're at," he says. "I've learned so much from Matt, JB, and Brent, and then there are areas in perfecting my craft as a musician with Dustin because he's insane and he works so hard. But I think it's our love for who August Burns Red is, and our identity as a band. We take pride in being August Burns Red, we take pride in writing the music that we write, and not swaying from who we are in any dramatic way."

This moment of taking stock by not just embracing the past, but heading full steam into the future, is wrapped up in the steadfast nature they imbue. Through all the fads and all the changes in the tide, August Burns Red have remained true to form.

"We're a grateful band in the sense of we recognise that yes, we worked really hard to get here, but the music scene is a community and they have chosen to recognise us and our art," Jake ends. "There are millions of musicians out there, and they chose us and respect us and have given us that respect, and we don't take that lightly."

This tenth outing may have begun with the band exploring their roots, but it's out among the branches that the real story lies. 'Season of Surrender' is less a reflection and more another limb growing further, reaching, and refusing, like August Burns Red, to stand still.

August Burns Red's album 'Season of Surrender' is out now.