BECOMING THE BULLSH*T: Atreyu Release New Single in the Most Annoying Way Possible

SoCal metalcore mavens Atreyu seem to go out of their way to make themselves as difficult to defend as possible: not only did they talk shit about Black Sabbath in the press, but they’re named after a character from The Neverending Story, for fuck’s sake. So imagine our disapponitment when, late yesterday afternoon, MetalSucks.net received the following press release:

“Atreyu has released the first song off its new album, but you are going to have to work to hear it. An online game was launched via the band’s MySpace page which challenges fans to piece together the new song ‘Becoming the Bull.’ The idea of the game is to put 20 small clips of the song in the right order. Once completed, your time is entered in a competition to win a prize pack that includes an autographed guitar and a copy of the album before it hits stores.”

What a stupid, annoying, fucking lame way to unveil your major label debut’s first single… to say nothing of fucking nonsensical.

I mean, seriously, from a PR standpoint, what’s the fucking idea here, anyway? That time spent playing the game is time spent looking at Atreyu’s logo, thinking about Atreyu, having the “Atreyu brand” imbedded on the consumer’s brain? Who the fuck is going to spend time on this crap, anyway, besides the band’s most hardcore fans (who were gonna buy the freakin’ album anyway) and bloggers like myself who need something to write about?

And they’re giving away what if you win the fucking contest? A fucking phone call from the band? Not even a proper fucking meet and greet? Fuck, most bands will let you buy them a beer if you spot them wandering through the crowd, and you don’t have to visit their fucking website or nothin’.

And I realize Atreyu probably have very little control over what their new label, Hollywood Records, does, but seriously: did they even object to this nonsense? Or did they think that listening to the track in small, out of order pieces was really the best way to hear new music for the first time?

And, finally, COULDN’T THEY HAVE AT LEAST CHOSEN A BETTER FUCKING SONG? Never mind that it has the stupidest hardcore-inspirational lyrics of anything this side of Hatebreed (“Grab the bull by the horns/ the old adage goes/ Nobody tells you where to go from there… in these hardest of times/ Today I become the bull.”). But after Atreyu became the umpteenth band to promise they weren’t selling-out and abandoning their metal roots with their move to a major label, releasing this virtually scream-free, auto-tuned all to hell, simplistic, poppy radio biscuit is not the smartest move – especially when one considers that, again, the band’s hardcore fans will be the first to hear the song.

So please join me now, my brothers and sisters, in raising a giant middle finger to Atreyu. This is fucking fucktarded, you ass munches.

-AR