As mind blowing as this might be to some,
Atreyu was not always classified a pop-core band by those who dreaded their sound. They were not known as the over-produced, eyeliner wearing, MTV material that they are today. In 2002 when their debut album
Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses was, this band was enjoyed and despised for completely different reasons than of those to this day. The atmosphere the album brings in is very raw and much heavier than those accustomed to their new sound will be used to; at least regarding
Atreyu. Singing invested choruses are not found here; in their place are hefty riffs, melodic instrumental sections, and the of course Alex’s infamous guttural vocals. The result is something completely diverse from their two modern day records.
From the little fade in intro of
A Song for the Optimists, quite the aggressive mood is created. The mid tempo tremolo picked riff with double bass and Alex’s phlegm invested growl over it creates an interesting atmosphere. Plenty of melodic leads come out, contrasting beautifully with the vocal work. A lot of that occurs throughout the record, a lighter feel occurs because of the guitar work, not clean vocals. Speaking of the singing, it does come out at around 2:34 for a bridge. Brandon's singing is average at best, but this is not a huge problem since it is far from the record's prime focus. After the bridge, things take another tempo dive with some more nice riffs carrying the song to a slow outro very smoothly. If there is one thing with
Atreyu that has not changed over the years, it is the quality of their lyrics or lack of as most will tell you. The intro of
Dilated will prove this to be true.
"Yesterday I forgot to breathe for like the 6th time this week." Aside from the lyrics, the song keeps the album moving at a great pace. More nice melodic guitar work comes out and there is an even a nice solo. The singing is fairly brief but works effectively in the song. Being only the second track, it continues the pace set by the opener.
Unfortunately, this pace is screeched to a halt as soon as
Ain't Love Grand comes. Love might be grand, but this song is far from it; awful would be a more appropriate word. Vocals on both ends of this song are dreadful, Brandon’s singing just sounds very weak and half-hearted while Alex’s screams just do not fit with the music. Even the guitars do little to pull the song out of its slump as the harmonics become very tiresome. The only appealing section of this song is its melodic outro as both Dan and Travis do nice work. For the most part, the middle of the album is rock solid. Once again, great riffs come out especially during the intro of
Deanne the Arsonist . Regardless of the quality of his screams, Alex’s vocal work at very least fits the music perfectly in this case. Verses come off very heavy here even with the singing sprinkled in. The intro riff comes out once again separating the first two verses in wonderful fashion. For the most part, there is no real chorus here, which works out great for the song. The bridge contains another beautiful riff over a nice rhythm section. When used, the pinch harmonics are very tasteful. A tapping lick comes in and eventually gets harmonized as a mini breakdown closes the song. Their mix of hardcore and metal elements here is extremely successful, making this track very enjoyable.
To the seal the deal,
Atreyu delivers an extremely powerful punch in closing the CD.
A Vampires Lament puts a choke-hold on listeners and does not let go until the end. The panned out intro riff sounds very nice, it is a bit lower than some of the riffs on the album. As a result, this song sounds a bit darker and 'metal' if you will than the majority of the album. As previously stated, Alex’s vocals really fit this style of music well. About halfway through the song there is a melodic break as things begin to slow down. The calm and peaceful section provides a nice distinction from the beginning of the song. Things stay at this tempo until the end of the song. To close the album is arguably
Atreyu's best song to date.
Lip Gloss and Black is heavy, melodic, beautiful and even epic. A tapping riff opens the song solely and eventually gets harmonized. One guitar keeps the riff going into the verse while double bass and some chords make up the rhythm section. Little tidbits of the intro riff come out in various sections of the song, working great even when vocals are atop of it. Singing does an excellent job in this song, both in its individual sound and fitting the music. The famous
"Live, love, burn die" comes out at around 2:40, marking a wonderful bridge. Some piano follows it, blending in very nicely. Clean guitar compliments the piano section until Dan pulls out an outstanding solo. So much emotion is captured throughout his lead and as it comes to a close, piano once again comes out. The record ends in epic fashion with a fading out piano.
The bottom line with this record is there are so many negative aspects that in a way shine a positive light. For example, the guttural vocals might not appeal to everyone, but in this case they at least fit the music. The singing is not extremely strong in some circumstances, but it is used sparingly for the most part so it is not a huge issue. Of course there are the terrible portions that have no exceptions, the primary example being the lyrics. They are as dreadful as ever but can be forgotten to a certain degree as a result of the wonderful guitar work. Solos, riffs, progressions, whatever the case may be Dan and Travis do a commendable job throughout the record. They can create a brutal atmosphere, melodic moments, or even combine the two very successfully and prove that during the duration of the CD. On the downside, the other axe member on bass, Chris, is hardly audible at all. With the superb guitar work, this only takes away so little from the album. For fans of the catchy, MTV and radio friendly
Atreyu, this probably will not be on the list of desire. But for those who are not big on the modern day
Atreyu sound, this might be worth checking out. Not saying it is impossible to not enjoy or loathe all of their albums equally, but
Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses might bring slightly different results to listeners.
Final Rating: 2.5/5
