Atreyu - A Deathgrip on Yesterday (Released Feb. 28, 2006) Victory Records

The latest effort from Atreyu on Victory is definitely another step forward for the OC metalcore powerhouse. A Deathgrip on Yesterday has all of the elements that made their last two releases so great, and then some. The heavy parts are heavier, the mellow parts are more mellow, and the overall brutality is there. All of the lyrics about love, death, and the combination of the two are just as prominent on this record as the others, and the amazing guitar work of Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel set this record apart from most of today‘s generic metalcore. Atreyu accomplish a lot within the nine tracks and 34 minutes this release has. The newest addition to the Atreyu sound is a lot of clean singing by vocalist Alex Varkatzas who generally takes care of the screaming while drummer Brandon Saller has the singing duties. The first single “Ex’s and Oh’s” has been getting video airplay, and the album cracked the Billboard Top 20. Not bad for being on an indie label. Standout tracks are “Creatures” and “Our Sick Story”. In support of this release, Atreyu performed on this years Taste of Chaos tour and will be a second stage headliner on this years Ozzfest.

Nick Zimmer