Despite a hugely successful 2008 — a year in which Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Christian metalcore quintet AUGUST BURNS RED spent the majority of its time on the road, supporting acts such as AS I LAY DYING and EVERY TIME I DIE, as well as headlining their own tours of both the U.S. and Europe — the band shows no signs of taking a breather as it prepares to drop "Lost Messengers: The Outtakes" on a rabid fanbase February 24 via Solid State Records.

The EP, a collection of b-sides and outtakes from the band's breakout "Messengers" album (which debuted at No. 81 on the Billboard Top 200), comes as a thank-you of sorts to the diehard fans who made AUGUST BURNS RED one of metal's standout names in the last two years.

"Several of the songs on the EP were heavily considered for the record, but were cut last minute," explains guitarist JB Brubaker, "and I think that fans will really appreciate these songs. It seems silly to me to record a bunch of quality songs and then never get them out there for people to hear, especially the diehard fans. That is why we decided to put this EP out."

Despite being a collection of outtakes, at least one track on "Lost Messengers" will be familiar to AUGUST BURNS RED's fanbase — the band's cover of "Carol Of The Bells", which was utilized heavily in television and online spots for Frank Miller's ("300", "Sin City") film "The Spirit".

"We were in Europe when we received word that 'Carol of the Bells' had been chosen for the trailer of 'The Spirit'," Brubaker states. "We had never had anything like this happen before, and to hear one of our songs on a TV commercial while chilling at home watching a football game was completely surreal."

In keeping with (pardon the pun) the spirit of wanting to give back to the fans, the "Lost Messengers" EP contains handwritten notes from the band about each song, further personalizing the connection between band and fan. Explains Brubaker: "I think the booklet for this EP is really awesome. We each handwrote explanations about each track. Some talk about why the songs didn't make the album, others explain the lyrics, etc. I think the handwritten notes give the EP more of a personal touch that the listener will be able to appreciate. It's something a little different for us, and I like that a lot."

"Lost Messengers" EP track listing:

01. Chasing the Dragon
02. Mosely (previously on "Messengers" Vinyl)
03. Carol of the Bells (previously on "X Christmas")
04. To Those About To Rock
05. Piano Man
06. Truth of a Liar (Demo)
07. Vital Signs (Demo)

In addition to the "Lost Messengers" EP, AUGUST BURNS RED explores new ground in 2009 via Fearless Records' upcoming "Punk Goes Pop 2" compilation, the latest in the label's successful "Punk Goes…." series, on which AUGUST BURNS RED tackles one of the last decade's biggest pop-stars, covering BRITNEY SPEARS' "Hit Me Baby One More Time".

While other bands might take a breather after such a grueling year, utilizing outtake EPs and high-profile compilation appearances to justify a slight hibernation, AUGUST BURNS RED is already preparing the follow-up to "Messengers" and will be hitting the studio in February — on or around the Feb. 24 release date of "Lost Messengers" — to begin recording.