A rather successful hard-rock band from
Orange County, CA that has been around since 1999. They've released two EP's and three full-lengths, the most recent being "A Deathgrip On Yesterday."
The band (at the time consisting only of Alex Varkatzas, Dan Jacobs, and Brandon Saller) first put out the "Visions" EP in 1999. It earned them some success in the O.C. metalcore scene, and they played shows heavily to support it. Next they put out the "Fractures in the Facade of your
Porcelain Beauty" EP, on an indie label called Tribunal Records. Around this time, Alex met Travis Miguel while working at Hot Topic, which they both quit to play
in the band. Alex quit playing bass to be able to move around more at shows, and Chris Thomson was eventually picked up as the replacement bass player. The band was soon discovered by and signed to Victory, for whom they released their first full-length in 2002, "Suicide Notes &
Butterfly Kisses." The album produced two popular singles - "Ain't Love Grand" and "Lip Gloss and Black." The album was accepted by a wide variety of hard-rock music fans and according to critics, the album brought "new definition to over-night success." The popularity of the album earned them a spot on the
second stage at the 2004 Ozzfest. Around this time, Chris left the band to start a family.
In June 2004, the band picked up Marc McKnight (ex-Nightfall) and released it's second
Victory Records full-length - "The Curse." Compared with previous releases, the band had much improved upon its sound; better vocals, better guitars, etc. "Right Side of the Bed" and "The Crimson" were the two singles off the album. "The Curse" is considered what broke Atreyu into
mainstream music, due to heavy rotation of music videos on FUSE and MTV2's
Headbanger's Ball. The album was re-released in 2005 while the band was on the '05 Vans Warped Tour.
In the fall of '05, the Atreyu hit the studio again to record their third full length - "A Deathgrip On Yesterday." The album is much more diverse than their others, including songs such as "The Theft," a relatively slow song compared to the other ones on the album. Still, "Deathgrip" delivers, filled with Alex Varkatzas' usual acidic vocals complimented by Brandon Saller's melodic singing. "Big" Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel solo much more on this album, and Marc McKnight's bass is very distinct and clear on this album.
Atreyu puts on a hell of a live show, and are very nice dudes who really care about their fans. They still get hated on like no other for some reason, and hopefully with the success of their new album, they'll finally recieve some well earned respect.
