Atreyu
Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses CD - Victory

Victory Records’ latest stab at hardcore has some potential, though they don’t quite fulfill it just yet. Atreyu plays very technical metal, mixed with heavy hardcore style screaming and a bit of melody. In terms of riffage, the guitars seem to be possessed by the Eighties metal scene (good metal, not hair metal). One can see many of the tunes, such as “A Song for the Optimists”, easily being at home on a mid-era Metallica record. With that said, many of the tracks don’t come off quite as punishing as they could be. It seems the band is focusing more on how many time changes and scales they can incorporate into a given song rather than their tone or intensity. Overall, this band has a lot of talent in terms of writing and bringing together many different influences in an interesting way. If they can adjust their priorities from technical to emotional, they could be in for some major success. (Brian Peterson)
www.atreyurock.com