Atreyu started in 2002 in Orange County, California. In the past four years the band managed to release three albums including this one and they have already sold more than 600.000 albums. That are quite impressive numbers, too bad it does not make this album god-like.

 

To the contrary, the album is not good in any form. With only nine tracks on the final track listing I call this album way too short. With a total playing time of 33 minutes I expected more songs and way more music! I looks like the band had to release an album and they came up with this one.

 

On to the music, maybe my standards of a decent quality rock or metal album has grown over the years but the production is way too slick and I just cannot listen to the clean vocals like they used on this album. As their biography calls it Brutal, I call it unoriginal and way too simple. Josh Abraham, who is known for his work with Velvet Revolver, Korn and Staind, produced the album and he made the album a little bit to ‘tight’. I just know they cannot reach this level when they are performing live on stage.

 

Besides that I just know the drummer is doing simple things live when he is doing the clean vocals in stead of some other drum parts like in ‘Our Sick Story’. Compared to From Autumn To Ashes this band cannot live up to their expectations they create with the albums. And besides that the obvious radio hit song ‘The Theft’ is one which should not be on an album from a band who want to create the standard for hard rock in the so-called new millennium. And especially when you are putting ‘harder’ songs before and after this track, just put the soft one at the end because this does not fit.

 

Overall the band managed to create an album which is reasonable for the new kids on the block who want to listen metal and I am sure that a lot of these 14 year old kids will be present at their show filled with make-up (with thee o so extremely cool term fashioncore). For me the band has created their own downfall; where they had to return with a stronger and more technical album they created a more accessible album with less attraction.