I admit that I’ve always liked Atreyu. ‘The Curse’ was one of my favorite CDs I bought in 2004. I don’t know if it was Brandon Saller’s strong singing, the refreshing, dueling guitars of Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, or if it was just the entire package. Atreyu always felt like the complete package for a metalcore band and I’ve always been interested in what ever they did (besides the Bon Jovi cover on the Mr. and Mrs. Smith Soundtrack). ‘Ex’s and Oh’s’ is the first single off of ‘Death Grip’ and it showcases the main difference in Atreyu. While at times they still stick with their tried and true metalcore formula (‘Creature’), a lot of the songs are cleaner (‘Our Sick Story’) with a lot of the songs being driven by Saller (who also played a bigger role in writing the songs). Also, when Alex Varkatzas isn’t shouting, he throws in some surprisingly good clean vocals, with Marc McKnight helping out with some extra backing vocals. ‘Ex’s and Oh’s’ is highlighted by the melodic guitar solos by Miguel and Jacobs and the majority of the song is driven by Saller’s singing, which has taken a huge rise above his mediocre and over produced vocals on ‘The Curse.” The rest of ‘Death Grip’ follows the pattern. At times it’s the older, straight up metalcore Atreyu you either love or hate. At times it’s the evolved Atreyu in which the maturation has lead to catchy and chaotic rock songs with melody, strong hooks, and loads of melodic and technical solos. It feels like a throwback to the 80s with a mix of the melody of the Cure, and the shredding and soloing of Iron Maiden. The combination between the two styles leads to a unique experience, as the band shows that they can be more than just a metalcore band, which they pull off better than what Avenged Sevenfold tried to do. ‘You can’t affect how other people feel, so don’t let them affect how you feel’ was a message Alex Varkatzas received from a fortune cookie and luckily the band decided to follow the message. Sure, Atreyu could have easily made the same old songs and still would have been extremely popular, but their search for what satisfies them allows for them to reach out and achieve what they truly want to do, which makes ‘Death Grip’ even more satisfying. Few bands have been able to evolve and achieve what Atreyu have done. On their debut album they crafted the metalcore album that bands have been trying to do for years. With their third release, Atreyu has fine tuned their craft even more and have created one of the best albums of 2006.Read full review
Ive heard this album many many times and it is filled with constant variations, no song sounds like the last and the overall output compliments itself in so many ways. I think of it as a perfect album. It is one hat u can listen to and not think "woah this album lasts forever". You will never get tired of this album and if u are a big atreyu fan you will really love this. With songs like creature, instant agresion and pure power the moment u play it to the epic "the Theft" this album is full of everything u expect from such a quality band and will leave u smiling everytime u think of it. I rate this 5/5 Top marks, a must have for all metal/hardcore (whicher genre u wanna stick them in) fans
While showcasing the screaming and song melodies in this track you can't help but wonder do they have what it takes to go all the way, and after listening to this album the answer from me is a big YES! They have so much great guitarin and amazing vocals that will really show how good they are, the question is how will they go big, start off with mid sized venues like the Apollo, Rock City or the Academy, or will they just go straight onto the bigger stages while supporting an already big band, only time can tell. My opinion of the album is that it is a must buy, even just to listen to exs and ohs, or just to hear Alex Varkatzas's vocals.
Well to any metal,rock,emo, punkcore fans this is your CD - This is for bands that like Avenged Sevenfold, Still Remains, 36 Crazyfists etc.. Well this albums offer so much not just vocally but musically no dislikes to this album very strong I RECOMMEND YOU ADD THIS TO YOUR COLLECTION this is stunning and for me adding this i feel i can add my band here Final Strike :) - WWW.MYSPACE.COM/FINALSTRIKEUK if thats ok GET THE ATREYU CD I TELL YOU, YOU WILL LOVE IT
This album is one of the best albums i've heared, a must have for any atreyu fans. All songs stand out and is a awsum metal album.
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