Atreyu: The Curse

Judging by the number of kidz klad in Atreyu t-shirts outside the high school down the street from my house this last spring and the number of klubgoers donning the same, I'd have to say that this band stands just on the verge of becoming the next "it" band in America. Maybe it already is. Isolated from MTV and the mall, I rarely keep up with the trendz. That said, I know enough to know that Atreyu is blending a lot of the big melodic sounds big the last few years with classic heavy/death sounds in a way that makes sense and, over time, results in some rather pleasant listening.

If your toes don't curl and your eyes don't roll back in your head within the first few seconds of "You Eclipsed By Me," there's a pretty good chance you're not alive or, maybe, you'd feel much more at home taking in the new Morrissey album. The band also hits a real stride with "The Crimson" (strange how more and more bands seem to be making the middle of their albums stronger than in days of yore) and "This Flesh Is A Tomb."

Not sure that this band has really written any enduring songs yet, pieces that really sink their teeth into yer jugula, pieces that you remember over a long period of time. (Personally, I remembered the riffs and growls from my first listen during subsequent ones but never found myself humming, say, "Bleeding Mascara" while buying pears and apples at the local Shop 4 More, though "Demonology and Heartache" has moments that have come to me while gassing up the car.) So what's it all mean? Do these guys get to live or die? I say we let them live, but with the caveat that they work on the overall dynamics on their next record, do a little less tough guy growling. And for God's sake, find someone else to design their album covers. The design for The Curse is, in the parlance of the band's target audience, pretty dumb and kinda gross.

Track Listing:
1. Blood Children (An Introduction) (1:14)
2. Bleeding Mascara (2: 26)
3. Right Side of the Bed (3: 42)
4. This Flesh A Tomb (3:59)
5. You Eclipsed By Me (3:38)
6. The Crimson (4:01)
7. The Remembrance Ballad (4:27)
8. An Interlude (2: 09)
9. Corseting (2:10)
10. Demonology and Heartache (3:42)
11. My Sanity on the Funeral Pyre (3:40)
12. Nevada's Grace (3:48)
13. Five Vicodin Chased With A Shot Of Clarity (4:24)
Total Time: 43:30

Added: July 3rd 2004
Reviewer: Jedd Beaudoin
Score:
Related Link: More Information
Hits: 2824
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]