Atreyu biography
Atreyu is an American post-hardcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/lyricist Alex Varkatzas, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist Marc McKnight and drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller.
They have released five studio albums: Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses, The Curse, A Death-Grip on Yesterday, Lead Sails Paper Anchor, and Congregation of the Damned.
1998-2000: Independent years
Originally named Retribution, they changed their name to "Atreyu" after the character of the same name from the fantasy book/movie The Neverending Story when they found out that another band from Hemet, California had already been using Retribution. In 1998, Atreyu released an independent seven-track EP titled Visions. The album was sold at their live performances. Their second release, was a short five-track EP titled Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty released by underground label Tribunal Records and featured tracks that would be re-worked for later releases. Atreyu signed with Victory Records in 2001, and their most critically acclaimed works would be to come from these releases.
2001-2006: Victory Records
In 2001, Atreyu signed with Victory Records, later releasing in 2002 their first full-length album Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses. The band also introduced a second singer, Brandon Saller, the drummer, who would become more prolific in their later releases. However, for Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses, his parts were largely confined to choruses. Music videos were filmed for the singles "Ain't Love Grand" and "Lip Gloss and Black." The latter video found significant airplay on Headbangers Ball and Uranium in fall of 2003, gaining Atreyu some of its initial mainstream attention.The bands second album, The Curse, was released in 2004, selling 450,000 copies. Atreyu was also featured on the soundtrack to Underworld: Evolution with "Her Portrait in Black". "Right Side of the Bed" also appeared on the Burnout 3 soundtrack, a racing video game.
Atreyu released its third studio album, A Death-Grip on Yesterday, on March 28, 2006. The album peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 69,000. The band gained further fame when the first single, "Exs and Ohs", appeared on the soundtrack to Madden NFL '07. The album was said to have a balance of Brandon Saller's melodic singing vocals and Varkatzas's aggressive screaming. The album was met with positive reviews."
2007-2009: Hollywood Records
In early 2007, Atreyu signed a record deal with Hollywood Records for America and an international deal with Roadrunner Records. With a new label, the band began to prepare its fourth studio album, Lead Sails Paper Anchor. A jigsaw puzzle was released on the band's website, as the goal was to put all the audio clips of the single "Becoming the Bull" into correct order, forming the whole song. Lead Sails Paper Anchor was released on August 28, 2007, and debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 43,000 copies. The American release of the album had a bonus track, a cover of the song "Epic" by Faith No More while the European and Australian bonus track was a cover of "Clean Sheets" by The Descendents. The album was received with mixed reviews, and was a notable change in sound for the band.Biography from
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