Atreyu
American metalcore band from Yorba Linda, California.
Hailing from Yorba Linda, California, the metalcore band Atreyu got its start in 1998. Their ten full-length albums include 2002's Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses and 2004's The Curse. The current members are guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, lead vocalist Brandon Saller, bassist and unclean vocalist Marc "Porter" McKnight, and drummer Kyle Rosa.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Yorba Linda, California, U.S.
- Genre
- Metalcore
- post-hardcore
- alternative metal
- hard rock
- Years active
- 1998–2011; 2014–present
- Label
- Tribunal
- Victory
- Hollywood
- Roadrunner
- Spinefarm
- Current members
- Dan Jacobs
- Brandon Saller
- Travis Miguel
- Marc McKnight
- Kyle Rosa
- Past members
- Alex Varkatzas
- Brian O'Donnell
- Kyle Stanley
- Chris Thomson
Facts from the source article.
History
Originally named Retribution, the band changed its name to Atreyu after the character Atreju from Michael Ende's fantasy book The Neverending Story, following a change of members and a progression in musical styling. In 1998, Atreyu released an independent seven-track EP titled Visions, sold at live performances. A second release, the five-track EP Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty, came out on underground label Tribunal Records and included tracks later reworked for other releases. The original lineup consisted of guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, lead vocalist Alex Varkatzas, and bassist Kyle Stanley. The band had no drummer until 1998, when Ryan Saller invited his younger brother Brandon Saller to join as drummer; Brandon played on the Visions EP. Atreyu signed with Victory Records in 2001. Their first studio album, Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses, was released in 2002. Brandon Saller sang as a second vocalist, though his parts on that album were largely confined to choruses. Music videos were filmed for the singles "Ain't Love Grand" and "Lip Gloss and Black"; the latter gained significant airplay on Headbangers Ball and Uranium in fall of 2003, bringing initial mainstream attention. Kyle Stanley left the band and was replaced first by Chris Thomson, then by Marc "Porter" McKnight in 2004. The band's second album, The Curse, released in 2004, sold 450,000 copies. Atreyu appeared on the soundtrack to the film Mr. and Mrs. Smith with a cover of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" and on the soundtrack to Underworld: Evolution with "Her Portrait in Black". "Right Side of the Bed" appeared on the racing video game Burnout 3: Takedown. The third studio album, A Death-Grip on Yesterday, was released on March 28, 2006, peaking at number 9 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 69,000. The single "Ex's and Oh's" appeared on the soundtrack to Madden NFL 07. The album was noted for a balance between Brandon Saller's melodic singing and Alex Varkatzas's aggressive screaming, and received positive reviews.
Musical style and influences
Atreyu’s sound has been labeled metalcore, alternative metal, post-hardcore, and hard rock. Critic Adrien Begrand of PopMatters described the band as too goth for emo, too metal for punk, and too openly emotional for metal. He also noted that their music pulls from heavy metal, psychedelic rock, gothic rock, hardcore punk, thrash metal, blues rock, emo, hard rock, screamo, and melodic death metal. Guitarist Dan Jacobs has said he is a big fan of 1980s rock and tries to bring that influence into the band’s work. He also pointed to the Gothenburg metal scene as an inspiration, naming Arch Enemy, In Flames, and Soilwork as key bands. Bassist Porter McKnight discussed his own influences in an interview with Metal Underground. The band’s broader list of cited influences includes Poison the Well, God Forbid, the Vandals, Bad Religion, Hot Water Music, Jimmy Eat World, AFI, Saves the Day, the Haunted, Arch Enemy, the Joykiller, the Adicts, Slayer, Sick of It All, Pantera, Braid, NOFX, Rancid, Sonata Arctica, Queen, Van Halen, Warrant, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe, Rocket From the Crypt, Deftones, Metallica, Judas Priest, the Four Seasons, Revolution, emo, Far, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Failure, MC5, the Stooges, Black Flag, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, White Zombie, David Bowie, Will Haven, Sepultura, Hatebreed, Mogwai, the Smiths, Outkast, the Police, Elvis Costello, Alkaline Trio, Ink & Dagger, Cave In, Iron Maiden, and glam metal.
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