Brandon Saller: Drums/Vocals
Daniel Jacobs: Guitar
Christopher Thomson: Bass
Travis Miguel: Guitar
Alex Varkatzas: Vocals
Southern California is celebrated for its sunshine and renowned for continually producing some of the world’s best punk rock bands. Atreyu will dispel any predetermined notions you may have previously had of a band from this area.
Depression, pain, desire and retribution procreate in a dark, lonely corner of your psyche. It’s that sordid piece of yourself that you try and hide, deny and bury. Orange County California’s Atreyu is embroiled in the struggle to break free from this disenfranchising abyss. Atreyu has taken a new direction in the world of melodic hard rock. They make extreme a little more accessible, emo a little more haunting and severe backed up with a powerful hardcore foundation. The album was recorded at the legendary Trax East (Hatebreed, Snapcase, Catch 22) and produced by Erik Rachel.
"Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses" is a wrenching window into the mind and heart of bandleader and lead vocalist Alex Varkatzas. Varkatzas’ rich allegorical songwriting focuses on dealing with the human growth struggle and the pain and desire of relationships. Atreyu’s incendiary musical alloy can best be described as a complex, passionate, emotional maelstrom of torment, revenge, vindication and release. Song titles like “Tulips Are Better”, “Lip Gloss and Black” and “A Vampire’s Lament” evoke a quandary of elicit images. The musicianship is technical yet fluid with a precise, thunderous rhythm section.
Accentuating Atreyu’s unconventional aura is the two-headed vocal delivery of Alex and drummer Brandon Saller. Alex is the ferocious, menacing, caustic and seething skull while Brandon is the tranquilizing, harmonious, Elysian cranium. This vocal duality migrates the gamut of melodramatic expression creating an ethereal yet turbulent soundscape.
Over the past three years Atreyu has garnered a dedicated, ardent, underground following on the West Coast. In December, 2001, Atreyu released their debut EP on Tribunal Records entitled, "Fractures in the Façade of Your Porcelain Beauty", recorded with producer Paul Miner, bassist of Death By Stereo. "Fractures" has been extremely well received and immediately garnered rave reviews.
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