Orange County quintet ATREYU has entered Henson Studios in Los Angeles with producer Bob Marlette (Saliva, Seether, Ozzy) to begin work on the highly anticipated follow-up to 2007’s LEAD SAILS PAPER ANCHOR.
“We started as a heavy hardcore band,” says lead vocalist Alex Varkatzas, “and I think we’ve gotten away from that in recent years. The last record, for example, showcased us as a rock band with heavy parts. With this record, we want to return to our roots while also continuing to move forward. It’s about finding the right balance between the two.”
“This album will scream as a statement of where we’ve been, what we’ve become and where we will go,” adds drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller. “We think this record will be a huge marker in the life of Atreyu and we can’t wait to unveil it.”
According to Varkatzas, the band has demo’d 30 songs and plan to narrow it down to 16, with the goal being to finish recording by June. “The songs definitely have a dark, heavier feel and I think the current climate has a lot to do with that,” says the vocalist. “Personally, I just feel…angry and it’s coming out in the music. Failed bailouts, unemployment on the rise, troops still in Iraq—I watch all this stuff on the news and it carries over to the sessions. It gets me fired up.”
After initial drum sessions at Henson, the band and Marlette will move production to the producer’s Blue Room Studios in the San Fernando Valley. “I was anxious to work with these guys,” says Marlette. “They’re a great slamming live band with amazing power and a great signature sound. This is going to be a helluva record.”
LEAD SAILS PAPER ANCHOR debuted at No. 8 on Billboard’s Top 200, making it both the highest debut and highest-charting album of the band’s career. It followed 2006’s A Death-Grip On Yesterday, which entered the chart at No. 9. The album, which was produced by John Feldmann (The Used, Good Charlotte) and mixed by Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Slipknot, Linkin Park), drew rave reviews from media outlets around the world, including Metal Hammer, who declared it to be “a truly landmark album.” Kerrang! gave the record 4 K’s and Blender gave it 3 ½ stars and called it “metal that takes you to a magical bygone era.” Revolver awarded the album 4 stars and praised it for flowing “beautifully through the speakers” and for being “a coffin-tight collection of singles.” Touring in support of the album, the band shared stages alongside Korn and Evanescence on the Family Values Tour, blazed a headlining run of their own, co-headlined the Taste of Chaos Tour, then tore up stages as part of Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution tour.
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