Deaf Opinion: I’ve always defined Atreyu with the word(s) SweetSour. They can sound as metalcore as hell in one moment, and before you realize it, you are hearing a ballad. I like those changes of power. Long Live is Atreyu’s comeback, we weren’t able to enjoy new material from them since their momentary breakup of 2011. I am expecting a comeback were the Californian guys are going to prove us that the SweetSour is still alive and they will maintain the legacy cultivated for more than 15 years now.
Song By Song:
1 – Long Live [3:29]: Pretty fast-forward and heavy start, cool screams also. I like how the guitar solo is in the song -> guitar solo (short) — drum beat — guitar solo (long). This is a nice single, it shows what is coming.
2 – Live to Labor [3:14]: Alex (vocals) raps screaming. When Brandon (drums/vocals) perform in the chorus I just want to stand up and run as I can.some heavy metal after the solo and in the end… And you know that can’t be bad.
3 – I Would Kill / Lie / Die (For You) [4:11]: When I listen to the riffs of this one… is like some sticky jelly sticks and drips into my chest. And this is a love song… it fits perfectly
4- Cut Off The Head [5:00]: The title is saying something. This song starts and you feel like the saws are cutting heads like crazy. I love how Alex starts to yell in this one. He screams so loud that you can hear it low. It’s awesome! The percussion in a part of the track makes my hip move a bit …around the 2nd minute 😉
5 – A Bitter Broken Memory [3:58]: Have you ever heard Brandon singing so loud that it can be considered a high singing? I don’t, or at least that I remember. Well, you can appreciate that on this song. In the part of the OH OH OHHHHHH OH OH OHHHHH I felt like I was hearing an anthem of some football competition
6 – Do You Know Who You Are [3:51]: There are a lot of breathings on this track. I imagine the band performing live and when a is the turn for one member to step in… he goes all in and kills it, performing at his best. This song is going to be in your head for days. trust me and clap your hands.
7 – Revival [1:42]: I know that you’re thinking the same as me on this one… but this is not a song from “The Lion King”.
8 – Heartbeats and Flatlines [3:40]: The start of this one is going to kick you in the face. Ok, after the chorus. When Alex does his thing with the screaming is like all the world is going to be buried alive… I know it sounds creepy, but this is not a Hello Kitty song.
9 – Brass Balls [3:28]: What a way to start a song. Dan (guitar) has done a nice job here. That is what I was talking about. “Say what you want we don’t give a f*** we learn the thing the hard way”. I will go for a beer and listen to this song once again.
10 – Moments Before Down [5:25]: It starts and is raining. Have I already said that I like when one guitar is with the solo and the other is with a big-fat riff?. For me, this is the ballad of the album. Atreyu’s style of ballad.
11 – Start To Break [4:41]: After having been dead, we resuscitate. Dan and Travis (guitarists) invoke rain with their strings and the water magically give us life back and we are ready to break everything up! High and Lows. You’ll go to the sky and to the ground with this one.
12 – Reckless [4:31]: first impression -> high school song. Then the power comes in. Caution! If you hear this one in high volumes you can feel the fire
13 – So Others May Live [4:19]: They have figured it out the way to put a bigggg hornet at the beginning of this song… at it sounds like a guitar, but not quite… ok I was kidding this time. Ok, what I’m about to say is going to sound crazy to you (and I know that I’m crazy, but still). When Dan plays his solos it reminds me on brushing my teeth.. strange? They end this song (and album) with a FAT AND HEAVY CLOSER
The Good: This record is what I was expecting from the band. The songs are really good and some of them are also catchy. They are going to stick in your head in some way. Atreyu for me has entered on another level with this album. And I am very sorry to couldn’t assist to see them live when they went to my town this year.
The Bad: You remember that I have been praised Dan in a bunch of songs? It did it because I really like what he’s done. But it feels (to me of course) that it is always the same problem with him. He is extremely talented, but a lot of his solos sound similar to each other from my perspective. I would have preferred if the band would have gone OUT THERE one more step. Experimenting an inch deeper.
My 3 Favourite Songs:
- Do You Know Who You Are
- Brass Balls
- So Others May Live