The film The Neverending Story from way back 1984 did more than give us fascinating memories you love to relive. It led to the formation of a band. Well, not directly, of course. But the name of Atreyu the Band is inspired from the character Atreyu in The Neverending Story.
Atreyu is a metal rock band from Orange County, California. The Atreyu band is composed of front man Alex Varkatza, guitar men Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist Marc McKnight, and drummer Brandon Saller. They haven't been in the music scene that long. Their debut album was released just in 2002. But already, Atreyu has gained the attention of a lot of people worldwide. This is not so hard to understand because of the unique style the band incorporates into their music, especially with their guitar sounds. Their guitar sounds may seem out of tune, but the Atreyu the Band is still able to pull this off. What's more, they are able to hoard in fans as well, and score hundreds of downloads of Atreyu mp3 tracks.
In 2002, Atreyu released their debut album Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses. The fresh vibe of their tracks quickly garnered a lot of fans worldwide. Atreyu released this album early June of that year under the label of Victory Records. Most of the lyrics were written by Varkatzas, while most of the music was composed by Saller, Jacobs, and Miguel. To date, Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses has sold a whopping 200,000 copies all around the world. Less than 2 years after its release, on February 2004 to be exact, Victory Records decided to re-release the album. This time around, the album included a bonus DVD of a live concert Atreyu the Band had had. This re-release was actually panned out to be a limited edition, with only 30,000 copies released in the market.
June 2004 marked the release of Atreyu's sophomore album The Curse. From this album came the crimson Atreyu hit. The main theme for the crimson Atreyu, as claimed by Varkatzas, is actually about the mistakes people commit, and the regrets they have for committing such. But the lyrics for Atreyu the crimson strongly suggest the concept of vampires and immortality. There's a portion of the song that talks about tasting the blood of the protagonist's victim. If this does not suggest vampirism, then I don't know what does.
Off this album also came the Atreyu Cover of a Bon Jovi Song. This cover is actually Atreyu love a bad name. And just like its mentor, Atreyu love a bad name also became a huge hit in the music scene. The band's music style just about makes it the most sought after cover of the single. And a lot of people are trying hard to get you give love a bad name Atreyu. This is because Atreyu you give love a bad name only appears on limited editions of The Curse.
A Death-Grip on Yesterday was then released late March of 2006. This quickly scaled the charts, debuting at the 9th spot on the Billboard 200. Off this album came Atreyu the theft and ex's and oh's Atreyu. A lot of fans are so impressed with Atreyu the theft that some would even prefer that the theft Atreyu be the lead single off the album. The track has Varkatzas doing some singing along with his screaming for a change. Another refreshing change is the orchestral sample in the song. This does contribute to the metal gothic image the band is famous for.
Ex's and Oh's Atreyu also attracted a lot of fans, primarily because of its catchy title. The ex's and oh's Atreyu track focuses on a typical bar scene where things tend to get out of hand with the onset of booze. Varkatzas does some soft singing on Atreyu ex's and oh's, as well as his trademark screaming.
Just recently, Atreyu released its final album with Victory Records, after signing on with Hollywood Records. The Best of? was released late January of this year. If you're still without that CD, well grab a copy fast! You won't be disappointed, as always.
