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.
