Review by Nate Easley
One sits back
and wonders; with so many genres in music, what bands should be tagged
with what labels? Hardcore is a term that’s thrown around a lot.
Atreyu, hailing from Orange County, California, has been proving since
2002 why they are deserving of such a powerful label and so much more.
The first time I heard of them was when I saw the video for "Ain’t
Love Grand" off the 2002 Victory Records debut Suicide Notes
and Butterfly Kisses. The video drew me in with its out of body theme,
but the music took my heart and mind for a ride not soon forgotten.
Atreyu utilizes two things that I feel are lost in the hardcore metal
realm these days: melody and the mighty guitar solo. Dan Jacobs and Travis
Miguel’s relentless assault on electric guitars is unmatched if
you ask me. It seems at times they need each other to survive, feeding
off one another as if they were hardcore leaches. Songs that demonstrate
these ramblings are definitely the band’s first single, “Right
Side of the Bed,” as well as “The Remembrance Ballad,”
and especially “Demonology and Heartache.” Oddly enough, those
same songs are perfect examples of lead singer Alex Varkatzas and drummer
Brandon Saller’s special blend of hardcore and melodic vocal styling
to reach the final blow that is Atreyu.
There seems to be a reoccurring theme on this album much like the last. Life is hard, loving in these times is harder, but recovering from lost love and tough times is the hardest thing to do in life. With this disc the music helps the listener deal with these all too real issues letting them know the game called love is played by two and felt by many. I highly recommend this CD if you love: A. old school metal style guitars, B. awesome build ups and breakdowns, C. both melodic and guttural vocal styling complementing each other in most songs, and D. a good metal album with the hardcore feel!