ALBUM REVIEW: In Our Wake – Atreyu

ATREYU came out of the metalcore scene in the mid-00s with their blend of harsh vocals, heavy riffs and catchy groove and have built up a sizeable following due to their hard work and constant touring. All good things must come to an end though and the band hit a wall, going went on an indefinite hiatus in 2011. Returning in 2014, the band had shown that they had grown up and matured over the extended break with the release of their record Long Live, and album cementing their core values but utilising experimentation with their song writing. This leads us up to present day with the release of latest album In Our Wake.

In Our Wake isn’t a progression from Long Live but rather a continuation of their more melodic and arena rock heavy opus Leads Sails Paper Anchor. That album had a penchant for changing up the staple ATREYU sound and that experimentation continues here. After being a band for as long as ATREYU have been you can’t attack a band for striving to develop and diversify their sound. John Feldmann is back behind the producer’s board here and his skills are evident throughout. Having the experience to produce music like ATREYU‘s comes from his work with bands like THE FEVER 333 and DISTURBED. The balance between harsh vocals from vocalist Alex Varkatzas and clean vocals from drummer Brandon Saller are weighted carefully so one does not overpower the other.

Having come up through the era of AVENGED SEVENFOLD, PAPA ROACH and ASKING ALEXANDRIA most of these songs can sit alongside these bands quite easily. The Time Is Now, Nothing Will Ever Change and No Control definitely have a flavour of all three bands. Having M. Shadows from the aforementioned AVENGED SEVENFOLD buddy up with the band is quite a nice touch as well, a tip of the hat if you will, showing there is no animosity here but rather a brotherly bond, shame the songs a saccharine ballad though.

Something that ATREYU haven’t really dived into to much in the past is the political world and some of the songs are, if not directly, pointing the finger and can definitely be read a certain way. Take the song Blind, Deaf & Dumb with its pointed lyrics cursing the world and its people for being quite literally its title. If anything good has come out of the mess of the US political landscape, it’s that great art comes out of conflict and ATREYU are putting their penneth worth in here.

Bands who survive in the music industry over a decade are inevitably going to change their sound. Artists need to remain challenged and invigorated in a world where people critique their every release. A band like ATREYU are just such a band and they are not afraid to stride forward into areas untrodden before. Yes, this is metalcore, but not the metalcore you remember. Long gone are the days of songs soaked in guttural screams with songs about partying, in are songs with emotional weight and vocal diversity to keep it interesting.

Rating: 8/10

In Our Wake is due for release October 12th via Spinefarm Records. 

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