I’m indifferent to Atreyu, I have to be honest. I found their early stuff a little too metal, while their latter stuff is a little too popcore for my liking. However, when the band find an interesting middle ground I can tolerate them. And when you crank up ‘Lead Sails Paper Anchor’ and ‘Doomsday’ spits out of your stereo, you know you’re onto a winner. There’s a monsterous riff and while the vocals are more melodic than before, they’re done in a way that isn’t too poppy.
It’s a trait Atreyu follow throughout this record, having ditched the majority of the screaming in favour of the two vocalists singing and shouting instead. But what i like most about this record is the guitars. ‘Cos boy, there are some riffs on this album. ‘Falling Down’ is a bit of a foot-stomper, ‘Becoming The Bull’ is outrageously cool, while the aforementioned ‘Doomsday’ is arguably one of the best riffs the band have written yet.
Of course at times the band have lost the urgency of their older records and truth be told they sound absolutely nothing like the band that first hit the scene around a decade ago. But if you ignore the fact they’re now a different band – and sound more like Papa Roach than the Atreyu of old – this is actually quite a fun record. Turn it up loud and sing along and you might just enjoy it…