ATREYU: A CHECK-IN

It’s been a while since I actively paid attention about Atreyu. A few years ago it was easy to slag them for venturing headfirst into the pop metal world; not that their sugar-sweet metalcore of yore was breaking boundaries or slaying faces to shreds beforehand, but The Curse and A Deathgrip on Yesterday were solid metalcore albums that were sufficiently heavy and sufficiently catchy, and, I’d venture, pretty good. So when Atreyu left Victory for the major label world and subsequently adapted their music to go for the mainstream gold, they were everyone’s favorite metalcore punching bags for a good hot hour there. But now? They’ve kind of just slipped into “oh yeah, that band” territory every time I see or hear their name somewhere. As Lambgoat commenters might say, “No care ever.”

So, a check-in. They’ve got a new video for a song called “Gallows,” from their latest album. Despite having the trimmings of metal (double bass, twin guitar leads, screaming [sometimes]), it’s pretty clear that Atreyu have continued on with the poppy stuff via a short, concise song structure and cliched catchy chorus. Vocalist Alex Varkatzas is singing [via the help of auto-tune] more than ever, and apparently drummer / backup vocalist Brandon “Ziggy” Saller has shaved his head. Otherwise it’s pretty much business as usual for Atreyu, which, these days, I’m honestly not sure how it is. Do kids still go out to shows to see this band or has their fanbase moved on?

-VN