Atreyu is an American metalcore band from Yorba Linda, California, formed in 1998. The band currently consists of clean vocalist Brandon Saller, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist and unclean vocalist Marc "Porter" McKnight, and drummer Kyle Rosa.
Originally named Retribution, the band changed their name to "Atreyu" after the character of the same name from Michael Ende's fantasy book The Neverending Story. The name change came because of a change of members and a progression in their musical styling.[1] In 1998, Atreyu released an independent seven-track EP titled Visions. The album was sold at their live performances. Their second release, was a short five-track EP titled Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty released by underground label Tribunal Records and featured tracks that would be re-worked for later releases. Atreyu signed with Victory Records in 2001, and their most critically acclaimed works would be to come from these releases.[2] The lineup originally consisted of Alex Varkatzas (lead vocals), Dan Jacobs (lead guitar), Travis Miguel (rhythm guitar), Kyle Stanley (bass guitar). At the time of this lineup, they did not have a drummer until 1999 when Ryan Saller, a friend of the band, invited his younger brother Brandon Saller to join as the drummer.
Signed to Victory Records (2001–2006)
In 2001, Atreyu signed with Victory Records, later releasing in 2002 their first studio album Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses. Brandon Saller sang for the band as a second singer, who would become more prolific in their later releases. However, for Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses, his parts were largely confined to choruses.[3] Music videos were filmed for the singles "Ain't Love Grand" and "Lip Gloss and Black". The latter video found significant airplay on Headbangers Ball and Uranium in fall of 2003, gaining Atreyu some of its initial mainstream attention. Kyle Stanley quit the band was replaced first by Chris Thomson, and then by Marc "Porter" McKnight in 2004.
Atreyu released its third studio album, A Death-Grip on Yesterday, on March 28, 2006. The album peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 69,000.[5] The band gained further fame when the first single, Ex's and Oh's appeared on the soundtrack to Madden NFL 07. The album was said to have a balance of Brandon Saller's melodic singing vocals and Varkatzas's aggressive screaming, and it was met with positive reviews."[6]
Signed to Hollywood Records (2007–2009)
In early 2007, Atreyu signed a record deal with Hollywood Records for America and an international deal with Roadrunner Records. With a new label, the band began to prepare its fourth studio album, Lead Sails Paper Anchor. A jigsaw puzzle was released on the band's website, as the goal was to put all the audio clips of the single "Becoming the Bull" into correct order, forming the whole song.[7]Lead Sails Paper Anchor was released on August 28, 2007, and debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 43,000 copies.[8] The American release of the album had a bonus track, a cover of the song "Epic" by Faith No More while the European and Australian bonus track was a cover of "Clean Sheets" by The Descendents. The album was received with mixed reviews, and was a notable change in sound for the band.
On April 22, 2008, Lead Sails Paper Anchor was re-released with new cover art, two bonus tracks, a DVD, and a digital booklet. From July to August 2008, Atreyu headlined the Revolution Stage of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution. Their setlist consisted of 45 minutes of various songs. With them on the stage were 10 Years, Hawthorne Heights, Armor for Sleep, and Street Drum Corps. Atreyu was also a part of the KROQ-FM Epicenter '09 Show where they did a meet and greet to benefit the non-profit organization Music Saves Lives.
Congregation of the Damned and Covers of the Damned (2009–2010)
Atreyu's fifth studio album, Congregation of the Damned, was released on October 27, 2009.[9] The album, which was produced by Bob Marlette (who has worked with Ozzy Osbourne and Airbourne) and mixed by Rich Costey (who has worked with System of a Down and Rage Against the Machine), was said to be "darker" and "heavier" than the band's previous albums. According to lead singer Alex Varkatzas, the record is a "mix of everything we've ever done. For every song that's more melodic or rock-driven there's a total shit-kicker, and I think that's what makes us a well-rounded band."[9] Atreyu has also described the album to "Make more sense than the other ones because they finally realize what they are".
Lead guitarist Dan Jacobs performing a guitar solo in Spain
The band started a co-headlining tour with Hollywood Undead, Escape the Fate and The Sleeping in October, and as promotion of album debut songs like "Bleeding Is a Luxury" at K-Rockathon 14 in New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse, New York., and "Gallows".[9][10] Atreyu also promoted the album with five webisodes, released biweekly from September 1 to October 20. Congregation of The Damned debuted at No.18 on the Billboard 200, selling 27,412 copies on its first week. Atreyu announced that they would be recording an EP Covers of the Damned with tourmates Chiodos, blessthefall, Endless Hallway, and Architects (UK). It was to be released on October 12, but was leaked on the internet on October 9. Atreyu toured Australia in November 2010 with the No Sleep Til Festival playing most locations with Dropkick Murphys, Alkaline Trio, Megadeth and many more. In December, along with Bring Me the Horizon they supported Bullet for My Valentine across the United Kingdom.
New projects and hiatus activities (2011–2013)
In January 2011, vocalist Alex Varkatzas confirmed, in a short series of Twitter postings, that the band was taking a break from touring and recording to "recharge and focus on other parts of our lives."[11][non-primary source needed][12][non-primary source needed][13] In these same Twitter postings, Varkatzas also stated that he has been working on a new project with Bleeding Through vocalist Brandan Schieppati called I Am War.
Drummer and vocalist Brandon Saller's side project Hell or Highwater[14][non-primary source needed] (formerly named "The Black Cloud Collective") has recorded an album titled Begin Again released on August 9, 2011. Saller is solely the lead vocalist in this band, and this album does not feature the same metalcore elements as those of Atreyu, voicing a sound similar to bands such as Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace, the band uses only clean vocals.
In December 2011, Travis Miguel added his own endeavors to the list of Atreyu side projects with Fake Figures and their release of the EP "Hail the Sycophants". This project features an all-star lineup which includes Miguel on guitar, Rus Martin (Hotwire), Robert Bradley (Scars of Tomorrow), and Justin Pointer and Heather Baker who were both former members of Nightfall, a project that bassist Marc McKnight played for in 2003 before joining Atreyu. As of July 2012, Steve Ludwig joined Fake Figures as their new drummer and for around 18 months between 2013 and 2014 Travis played as a touring guitarist with Trapt.
On May 11, 2013, the band posted a statement asking their Facebook fans to repost their message "if you want Atreyu to write a new song for your ears to bleed to.", with a second statement explaining that they hope to return to a sound more reminiscent of their second studio album, The Curse.[15][16][non-primary source needed]
Official reunion and Long Live (2014–2017)
Atreyu performing in Budapest in 2016
On July 1, 2014, the band officially announced that they're back making new music. It was also announced that the band plans to play live again, starting with a headlining show at Chain Reaction on September 11, 2014, and an appearance at the Aftershock Festival on September 14, 2014.[17][non-primary source needed]
On September 5, 2014, the band released a new song on their YouTube account titled "So Others May Live" and is available on their official website, free of charge.[18][19] The band was announced as one of the acts to perform in the South by So What?! festival in March at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie.[20]
Atreyu played in Slipknot's Knotfest on the weekend of October 25–26, 2014.
On April 18, 2015, a 7" vinyl was released exclusively for Record Store Day. "So Others May Live" was presented on the vinyl followed by a new song "When the Day Is Done". Only 1,000 copies were made.
On June 29, 2015, the new album, titled Long Live was announced to be released on September 18.[21][non-primary source needed] On July 17, 2015, the band released the video for their latest single, "Long Live", via YouTube.[22]
On September 18, 2015, the album Long Live was released. It peaked at number 26 on the Billboard 200.[23]
In Our Wake and departure of Alex Varkatzas (2018–2020)
On May 22, 2018, Metal Injection reported that Atreyu frontman Alex Varkatzas had sat down with HardDrive Radio's Lou Brutus at Rock on the Range, and implied a possible new album will drop in the fall of 2018.
On August 23, 2018, Atreyu released a single titled "Anger Left Behind" and announced that their upcoming album In Our Wake will be released on October 12, 2018. As of September 11, Atreyu has released 3 singles including Anger Left Behind, In Our Wake, and The Time Is Now including a music video for the song In Our Wake.[24] Atreyu did a tour to support In Our Wake throughout the Fall of 2018. Memphis May Fire, Ice Nine Kills and Sleep Signals all joined up as support.[25]
On August 19, 2019, Atreyu announced an anniversary tour to celebrate 20 years since the band's formation. The setlist for the tour was a 20-song setlist and was chosen by fans in an online poll. The tour spanned 27 cities and featured support from Whitechapel, He Is Legend, Tempting Fate, and Santa Cruz.[26]
In late August 2020, it was rumored that vocalist Alex Varkatzas had left the band.[27] After some uncertainty following these reports,[28] the band officially announced that they were parting ways with Varkatzas a month later on September 30.[29]
Baptize (2020–2023)
In October 2020, the band released a single titled "Save Us". They also announced several lineup changes, including the addition of new drummer Kyle Rosa, as Brandon Saller would focus on clean singing only. Meanwhile, bassist Marc McKnight would take over screaming vocals.[30]
On March 4, 2021, the band announced that their eighth studio album Baptize would be released on June 4, 2021, through Spinefarm Records.[31] Ahead of the release, they also released two singles: "Warrior" featuring Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and "Underrated".[32]
Series of EPs and The Beautiful Dark of Life (2023–present)
On April 17, 2023, the band released an EP titled The Hope of a Spark.[33] On August 18, the band released a second EP, The Moment You Find Your Flame, and revealed there would be a series of EPs released in 2023, in which all the songs would end up on The Beautiful Dark of Life, which is their next full-length album, due by the end of the year.[34] The third and final EP of the series, A Touch in the Dark, was released on November 3.[35] That same day, it was revealed The Beautiful Dark of Life would be released on December 8.[36]
In an interview, guitarist Dan Jacobs stated he is a really big '80s rock fan. He then went on to quote "I love all that stuff and I think that is one generation where music was done right and I try to apply that as much as possible to our music".[46] He also went on to discuss Atreyu's influence from the Gothenburg metal scene. A few bands he mentioned that the band loves are: Arch Enemy, In Flames, Soilwork, and all those type of bands.[46]
In an interview with Metal Underground, bassist Porter McKnight spoke of his influences:
I'm a huge fan of Johnny Cash and all that kind of music. All the way through to like Bleeding Through and stuff, well I wouldn't say they're an influence I guess because they're kind of new. I would say that most people or bands now have kind of stemmed out from Green Day and I can say that if it weren't for them, love 'em or hate 'em, a lot of these bands now wouldn't be existing. So I wouldn't say it was mostly musical influence but it got me off my ass and made me want to write ya know?[47]
In an interview with Rock Sound, frontman Alex Varkatzas stated
This is going to sound a little cocky but I'm a singer in a band. I don't think we fit into any genre. I think we are hard to pin down. When we first started it was a little easier. We were a metallic hardcore band with singing parts. There wasn't any else like that when we were doing it. People get confused and say 'you're a metalcore band', but we invented metalcore. That may sound cocky but I don't care. We pre-date Poison the Well and Killswitch Engage and all those bands. I've been doing this since I was literally 12 years old.[48]
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Justin Foley. The band has released eight studio albums and three live performance albums. Their eighth studio album, Atonement, was released on August 16, 2019.
The Curse is the second studio album by American metalcore band Atreyu. It was released on June 29, 2004, under Victory Records. The album went on to produce three singles, "Bleeding Mascara" "Right Side of the Bed" and "The Crimson".
Alex Varkatzas is an American musician, best known as the former lead vocalist of metalcore band Atreyu from its inception in 1998 until his departure from the band in 2020. In 2011, during the band's hiatus, Varkatzas also started a hardcore project with Bleeding Through vocalist Brandan Schieppati named I Am War.
Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty is the second EP by American metalcore band Atreyu. It was originally released on November 20, 2001, and released again on January 29, 2002, under the independent label Tribunal Records. The EP has early versions of the songs "Living Each Day Like You're Already Dead", "Someone's Standing on My Chest" and "Tulips Are Better", which were re-worked and included on the band's next release, Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses. The EP was released before the band's huge success following their first album and original pressings are increasingly hard to find. The vocalist, Alex Varkatzas, has a deeper approach to his screams on this album compared to Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses. The album is the first Atreyu release with Travis Miguel on rhythm guitar, as opposed to the Visions EP which only had the founding guitarist, Dan Jacobs.
Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Atreyu. It was released on June 4, 2002, under Victory Records. The album featured re-worked versions of the songs "Living Each Day Like You're Already Dead", "Someone's Standing on My Chest" and "Tulips Are Better", which originally appeared on the band's 2001 EP, Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty. "Ain't Love Grand" and "Lip Gloss and Black" were released as singles and music videos were also made for these two songs. The latter video found significant airplay on Headbangers Ball and Uranium in the fall of 2003.
A Death-Grip on Yesterday is the third studio album by American metalcore band Atreyu. It was released on March 28, 2006, through Victory Records. A week after its release, it had sold more than 69,000 copies and started out at #9 on the Billboard 200. It has gone on to sell more than 340,000 copies.
"Ex's and Oh's" is the lead single from American metalcore band Atreyu's third album, A Death-Grip on Yesterday, released in 2006. It is Atreyu's second single from 2006, but first from the album, as "Her Portrait In Black" was also released, which created for the soundtrack to Underworld: Evolution. The lyrics deal with the former alcohol addiction of vocalist Alex Varkatzas. This song is included on the video game Madden NFL 07. It is also a master recording playable on Guitar Hero II as an Xbox 360 downloadable track. A part of the song was played on an episode of Parental Control.
Suicide Silence is an American deathcore band from Riverside, California. The band was established in 2002, and has released seven studio albums, three EPs, and nineteen music videos. They were awarded the Revolver Golden God award for "Best New Talent" in 2009. The group currently consists of guitarists Chris Garza and Mark Heylmun, bassist Dan Kenny, vocalist Hernan "Eddie" Hermida and drummer Ernie Iniguez.
Lead Sails Paper Anchor is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Atreyu. It is the band's first release with Hollywood Records, and the album had a significantly different sound to it than their previous albums, moving away from a metalcore-type sound, for the most part. The album was released on August 28, 2007. The first single was "Becoming the Bull".
Memphis May Fire is an American metalcore band formed in Denton, Texas and currently signed to Rise Records. The band currently consists of lead guitarist Kellen McGregor, lead vocalist Matty Mullins, bassist Cory Elder, and drummer Jake Garland. Formed in 2006, they have released six studio albums and two EPs to date. Their fourth album, Unconditional, debuted at No. 4 on the US Billboard 200 and atop the Alternative Albums chart.
Congregation of the Damned is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Atreyu. It was released through Hollywood Records and Roadrunner Records on October 27, 2009.
Brandon Kyle Saller is an American musician, singer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the lead vocalist, keyboardist and former drummer of the metalcore band Atreyu. He is responsible for the melodic singing found in the band's music. He is the band's primary songwriter, along with guitarist Dan Jacobs. Following Atreyu's hiatus in 2011, Saller focused on his side project Hell or Highwater, where he is the lead vocalist. In 2011, the group released their debut album, Begin Again, in 2011. The band released an EP, The Other Side, in August 2013. Saller returned to Atreyu in 2014 and has remained a full-time member of the group since.
Covers of the Damned is the third EP by American metalcore band Atreyu. It is for the band's Congregation of the Damned Tour, in support of their fifth album, Congregation of the Damned. The performers were a collaboration of Atreyu, along with their tourmates Blessthefall, Chiodos, Endless Hallway and Architects. Two songs were performed by Atreyu alone, one was by Endless Hallway featuring Travis Miguel of Atreyu, and the last two were a collaboration of certain members from each band.
Vampires Everywhere! is an American metalcore band from Los Angeles, California, currently based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The last lineup consisted of vocalist Michael Vampire and guitarists Matti Hoffman and Grey Soto. In 2021, the lead singer Michael Vampire reformed the group, and the band signed with Cleopatra Records, releasing "Witch", a single from their second EP, The Awakening, released in October 2021.
Crown the Empire is an American metalcore band from Dallas, Texas formed in 2010. The band comprises vocalist Andrew "Andy Leo" Rockhold, guitarist Brandon Hoover, bassist Hayden Tree, and drummer Jeeves Avalos. They are currently signed to Rise Records and have released five studio albums. Their most recent studio album, Dogma, was released on April 28, 2023.
Lip Gloss and Black is the second single from American metalcore band Atreyu's debut album, Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses released in 2002. The song features the lyrics "Live, Love, Burn, Die" which has become one of Atreyu's signature phrases and one of Alex Varkatzas's most noted lyrics. The song itself was one of the first Atreyu songs to gain them mainstream attention, with the video being played extensively on MTV2 and Uranium.
Long Live is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Atreyu. The album was released on September 18, 2015 through Spinefarm Records. It is Atreyu's first album since Congregation of the Damned in 2009. Long Live peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200, making it Atreyu's first album since The Curse to miss the top 20 of the chart.
In Our Wake is the seventh studio album by American metalcore band Atreyu. It was released on October 12, 2018, through Spinefarm. It is the final album to feature vocalist and founding member Alex Varkatzas before his departure from the band in September 2020.
Baptize is the eighth studio album by American rock band Atreyu. It was released on June 4, 2021 through Spinefarm Records and was produced by John Feldmann. It is the first album not to feature vocalist and founding member Alex Varkatzas who left the band in September 2020. The album received polarized reviews from music critics, with praise going towards the ambition, but criticism primarily going to lack of focus and consistency.
The Beautiful Dark of Life is the ninth studio album by American metalcore band Atreyu. It was released on December 8, 2023, through Spinefarm Records. The album contains all tracks from three four-track EPs released earlier in the year along with three new tracks; "Dancing with My Demons", "Insomnia", and the title track. The album received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics.
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