Search - Atreyu :: A Death-Grip On Yesterday

(3.5 stars) Not perfect, but better than you might think

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 08/04/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"A third album is often a dangerous and important time in a band's career. On one hand, they can start experimenting with and tweaking their sound a little. But, conversely, they have only two albums out so they're still fairly young, and thus probably can't afford a misstep. Atreyu's junior release, "Death Grip On Yesterday," doesn't take them to any new musical territories, but it's nonetheless exceptional and not-at-all disappointing. This Orange County quintet's first disc, "Suicide Notes And Butterfly Kisses," was a fairly aggressive and heavy metalcore record, but 2004's "The Curse" was much more melodic and polished. And now, two years later, "Death Grip On Yesterday" tries to bring the best of both worlds. "The Curse" premiered Atreyu's use of cleanly sung vocals, and it also sold nearly twice as well as their debut, so it's only natural that Atreyu would want to continue using them on future releases. But, unlike "The Curse," there is plenty of metallic riffing here to prevent old-school fans from becoming completely alienated. If you want Atreyu to make an album which recaptures the all out intensity of "Suicide Notes," you'll have to wait a while longer. You might even have to wait forever, because the band has definitely perfected its sound and now seems very comfortable in its musical niche.



"Death Grip" is overproduced and the songwriting sounds somewhat formulaic in spots, but the tunes are very solid. And the whole record is over in nine songs and thirty-two minutes, so you'd be hard pressed to find much filler here. Even obvious attempts at getting radio play, like "Ex's And Oh's," are very tolerable and even infectious. "The Theft," "Our Sick Story (Thus Far)," and "My Fork In The Road (Your Knife In My Back)" are the heaviest songs on here, with thick, churning riffs, pounding, bruising rhythms, mostly angry vocals, and catchy, tuneful choruses. Track six, "Creature," is one song which has heavy music held in check by melodic vocals, and "Your Private War" is a power ballad of sorts with limpid singing almost throughout. Lastly, "Untitled Finale" is one of the album's biggest highpoints, sporting some fantastic hooks and even a couple mazey guitar leads and wailing solos, which are very cool.



"DGOY" won't blow any minds, convert any non-fans, and it certainly won't be heralded by any critics as a landmark or groundbreaking release. But it's still a good album which leaves a favorable and generally satisfying (though not vastly powerful or unique) impression, and it makes the listener want to return to it occasionally in the future. Here's everything you need to know (in a nutshell): Atreyu make catchy, accessible, melodic, smoothed-over metal for the masses, and--whether you choose to believe this or not--this disc proves that they are very good at what they do."

Why are people so stupid!

DieRomantic86 | West Virginia | 04/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I went through and read most of the reviews for this cd and I must say it made me sick. What is wrong with people? A band changes just a bit and they are sellouts. News flash people...if bands didn't change then every album would sound the same.

Now, getting to the cd. Suicide Notes & Butterfly Kisses is the first hardcore album I ever listened to...so naturally when I saw that Atreyu was releasing Death-Grip I was more than excited. This cd is in my opinion the best material they have ever put out. I believe that Atreyu has become more than just another hardcore band, and this album proves it. There is alot more singing than in their previous releases...but who says that's a bad thing. The guitars are alot cleaner sounding and blend together almost flawlessly with the bass. The drums are still as good as ever...if not better. Also, not only does Alex own this cd with his destructive screaming...he has learned to sing as well.

All in all I say anyone that enjoys GOOD music and not the mainstream [...] that gets pumped into your ears by mtv should go buy this cd now. If you think it sucks or Atreyu sold out then you are a complete and total moron and you should just go back to listening to crappy bands like Korn or Mudvayne and continue hating your life.



Stand out tracks:

We Stand Up, The Theft, Untitled Finale, Creature"

Quit whining, you could see this coming from miles away

Greg HXC | USA | 04/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Atreyu are without a doubt one of the most commercially successful metalcore bands out there, alongside Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying. The difference is these guys are trying to expand on their fanbase without worrying about what "scene kids" think. So f*ckin be it, theyre still sounding great. It opens with a mid-tempo song, Creature, a song that proves you dont have to come out of the gates with a fast track right away to get the listener's attention. One of the best songs is the lightest one theyve ever written, The Theft. Alex actually does clean singing in this song which is a first, showing hes got some more confidence. The weakest track is probably the first single, Ex's and Oh's, its got a catchy chorus and not much else. In comparison to the other albums its hard to figure where to put this, they dont mind slowing things down a bit on Deathgrip, and theyre not enslaved to the "must have at least one breakdown in each song" mentality that most metalcore bands fall victim to. It was a logical next step to have more melody on their latest album, so the sell-out cries from some scenesters dont hold much weight."