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Atreyu

Live at Ozzfest, 2004, Alpine Valley, WI

Review by Arnold Hablewitz

Coming from the same school of hardcore-meets-metal as Bleeding Through (that being Orange County), but having a much more melodic and almost downright emo-inspired tinge to it, Atreyu is another band I waited in high hopes for. Their ictory debut "Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses" suffered from that all-too-common problem of all the right ingredients and not getting the best end result, but the new disc was most impressive on every level.
I was anxious to hear how the new tunes stacked up live and how the same band
could make the old tunes work as good as the new ones do. Atreyu deliver the goods evenly and relentlessly; not letting up for anything. They had high speed buildups, cool melodic breakdowns, and everything in between. It just amazes me that a band can go from full-out aggression and break it down to some of the most ear-pleasing choruses as effortlessly as they do it. I have simply never heard it done better. And how about that guitar playing? I'll say it again...if people keep calling Avenged Sevenfold the "Iron Maiden of metalcore," then these people obviously haven't heard Atreyu. Their show was
amazing, and one thing I also liked is that the drummer does most of the clean singing, and I was pleased with how he can put in such a demanding performance yet still hit every note with utmost confidence and strength. Bravo! At how about the bass player? Did he ever find the bugs in his jeans? You sure thought that was the case with his wild gesticulations, but still, he played and entertained equally well. Finally, I love the one guy's guitar and how it's been taped over with neon green and pink to look like something
straight out of the '80s (speaking of which, his Warrant t-shirt was awesome...rock on!). Kudos to a very entertaining set.






Arnold Hablewitz
 
Arnold Hablewitz
   
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2004 Year Book Volume 3 at https://garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2003-and-2004/.
You'll find concert pics of this artist in the Music Street Journal members area.
 
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