Atreyu

In 2002, a band called Atreyu exploded out of Orange County. Previously unknown to the rest of the world, the band released their stunning debut album, Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses, grabbing the attention of a wide spectrum of music fans by demolishing the barriers between rock, melodic hardcore and metal. The band’s original, unique music hit like a lightning bolt in hard music circles, energizing audiences and redefining the hardcore sound Southern California was known for. Atreyu hit the road, and within a year were headlining their Bitter, Broken, Bound and Gagged tour to sold out rooms across North America. Critical raves poured in from publications like LA Times, Guitar World, and Metal Maniacs, who commented, "The Southern California five-piece brings new definition to overnight success." Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses has scanned 90,000 units and shows no signs of slowing down. With their new album, The Curse, Atreyu have honed their personal style even more, exceeding all expectations and expanding the boundaries of metallic rock yet again.

Atreyu headed home in late 2003 to write and record their second album, The Curse. The cathartic process transformed the band. "We were in the van for two years, and it seemed like every time we left home, there would be a crisis with someone close to us, and there was nothing we could do to help. Eventually the van becomes like an isolation chamber in which we internalized every trauma or negative experience." Alex explains, "When we came home and starting writing the album, everything came pouring out, with the intensity of something new. It was really cleansing." The band’s torrent of honesty and emotion resulted in one casualty; bassist Chris Thomson left the band, to be replaced by Marc McKnight, an old friend of the band.

"We are so fanatical when it comes to our music, that we demo-ed every song and put them in the sequence that they appear on the album before we even chose a producer," recounts Alex. GGGarth, famous for his work with bands like Rage Against The Machine, Kittie and Testament, was chosen to produce the album because his sincerity and excitement about Atreyu outstripped any of the other candidates. "Garth really believed in us and after he heard the demos, he really wanted to help us realize our vision. When we got to the studio we were amazed - his ideas for the record were exactly the same as ours! He also has a killer studio and the technical capability to get the sound we were looking for."

The Curse explores themes of isolation and paranoia, memory and immortality as well as power and potency. Songs like "The Crimson" explore vampiric immortality, while "The Remembrance Ballad" is a meditation on the brevity of life. "A lot has happened in the past two years, and I started realizing that I will die, that I can’t control it, so I started thinking about my choices while I am living this life, and on trying to break everything down and build back up into a person I can be proud of", Alex explained. "My Sanity On The Funeral Pyre" explores the harsh battle between paranoia and peace of mind, in stark contrast with "You Eclipsed By Me", a howling roar of determination and strength of will in the face of adversity. "Right Side Of The Bed," the first single, reigns as one of the most personal songs on the album according to Alex. "There is so much contrast in the song, it’s a total rock song, but the lyrics reflect pure pain for me -- regret and misery aren’t usually presented in that context, but it just worked well for us."

With an extraordinary album ready to hit in 2004, features in Alternative Press, Revolver, Guitar World, Metal Edge, Hit Parader, Outburn and numerous other national magazines, a North American tour, the support of Active Rock radio and the summer Ozzfest Tour, Atreyu are poised to reach a huge audience and captivate them with their genre-bending metallic rock. Their dynamic guitar assault combines brilliant single-note leads and pummeling power chords, offset by the melodic and guttural vocals. "We blend it to make a prettier dark picture", Alex comments. Atreyu made waves in the music world with their debut, catching fans off guard with their original style, but the story is just beginning - with The Curse comes world domination.

Coming out of Southern California during the rap-metal explosion around the turn of the century, Atreyu crafted a sound much closer to Agnostic Front or Hatebreed. The metalcore quintet was formed by Brandon Saller (drums/vocals), Dan Jacobs (guitar), Chris Thomson (bass), Travis Miguel (guitar), and Alex Varkatzas (vocals). Their warped, detuned guitars are matched by pounding drums and acidic vocals, which give the material an edge otherwise absent from their sludge metal. Atreyu released various demos, including the seven-song EP Visions, in the late '90s before commercially debuting with the Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty EP on Tribunal in late 2001; the full-length Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses appeared the next year on Victory. Touring almost nonstop in support of the record, the group faced lineup changes as bassist Marc McKnight replaced Thomson before the recording of their follow-up. Atreyu's second full-length, The Curse, surfaced in June 2004 and went on to sell over 300,000 copies; it was re-released with an accompanying DVD a year later. The guys hit the road hard, playing 2004's Ozzfest and 2005's Warped Tour, in addition to headlining their own successful world tour. They contributed a track to 2006's soundtrack to Underworld: Evolution and were near the top of the billing for the year's Taste of Chaos tour, alongside the Deftones and Thrice. Their next effort, A Death Grip on Yesterday, was issued in late March 2006 and hit number nine on the Billboard charts. Following a summer spent headlining the second stage at the year's Ozzfest, Atreyu jumped into the major-label waters over at Hollywood Records, leaving an early-2007 best-of collection as their Victory farewell. Their Hollywood debut, Lead Sails Paper Anchor, followed later in the year. In 2008, the album was re-released with bonus materials, including a DVD. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide