There was a time when Atreyu were one of the standouts of their scene. Blending an emerging metalcore sound with gothic tinges, they were exciting, they were vibrant…hell, they were relevant. People awaited their new records with anticipation, and fawned over the eyeliner sporting dual vocal attack of Alexs Varkatzas and Brandon Saller. Somewhere along the way though, the band seemed to lose their spark, and their blend of eighties attitude and emocore fury devolved into a desire to be featured on ESPN highlight reels. Much like their contemporaries Avenged Sevenfold the band decided to take their sound in another direction. While there’s nothing wrong with that, change is only good if done well. Losing screamer Alex didn’t exactly help matters, with his absence showing that he was at least partly responsible for some of the bite the group had in their past and never-amazing-but-always-good lyrical flourishes
The Moment You Find Your Flame is the name of this new EP, and is four brand new tracks from the group. It’s actually their second release of the year, with The Hope Of A Spark releasing in April. Frankly, the two are interchangeably poor. Both are the sound of a band trying to remain relevant, not so much flirting as committing full on PDA with radio-rock and mixing boring electronics into things.
This EP kicks off with ‘Good Enough’, which is probably what the band said after finishing recording. With a riff that Breaking Benjamin would have refused for being too generic, it segues into a midden of frankly shocking vocal lines, uninspired synths and some sort of choral bridge that gives way to a breakdown so hackneyed that the subsequent eye-roll nearly caused me to go blind.
After double checking that the first track hadn’t accidentally played twice, ‘Immortal’ flew past in just over three minutes of awful faux-inspirational lyrics and instrumentals that seem like four different Bad Omens C-sides stuck together with bubblegum. Pure forgettable fodder that’s so hamfisted it would be deemed too cringe-worthy for Youtube anime compilations. It makes Gravity by Bullet For My Valentine sound like Rush.
“It makes Gravity by Bullet For My Valentine sound like Rush”
The most frustrating part of Atreyu and their descent into Miller-Lite core is that in 2007, they proved with Lead Sails And A Paper Anchor that it was possible to be more radio friendly and still write good songs. Tracks like ‘Becoming The Bull’ and ‘Two Become One’ from that record still hold up today as they’ve got teeth, they’ve got bile. These new tracks are pitiful in comparison. If they maybe leaned back into some of their eighties and hardcore influences in the future, then there’s a chance that they might have something worth putting out in them, instead of this seemingly trend-chasing fodder.
‘Gone’ tries to be heavy, and on a sonic level it technically is but it weirdly feels out of place. The highlight of the EP is a guitar solo that takes you back to their work in the mid-2000’s. It’s the first part of the record remotely capable of bringing a smile to your face, but that’s a fleeting hug in a barrage of shin-kicks to your nostalgic self.
Ending with a ballad of sorts, ‘I Don’t Wanna Die’ isn’t so much stick your torches in the air as it is stick a car cigarette lighter in your ear canal. Some ‘Cat in the hat’ lyrics and lazy guitar work really hammer home that the band as you knew them are gone. A strong contender for the worst thing the band have ever written, this collection of four tracks fades out with a whimper.
Apparently, this and the previous EP are part of a release called The Beautiful Dark Of Life which will be out later this year. If you think you can actually handle more of this, then it seems you’re in for a treat.
As someone who loved the band in their heyday, to hear them like this is just a little bit painful. It may be harsh, but the time is right for the members of Atreyu to follow their namesake and let the band sink into the mud of history. Let us live with fond memories, rather than sully them with pain.