Customer Reviews

Suicide Notes & Butterfly Kisses

5 star:		(82)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

That is how Atreyu describes their music and I must agree. They straddle the line between Killswitch Engage and Iron Maiden and do it VERY WELL. Every song is amazing, moving, heavy, and memorable. The clean/growled vocal trade off is reminescent of the afforemention KSE and Shadows Fall, so if you are a fan of those bands do yourself a favor and get this.

For a debut album, the songwriting skills are very impressive.. even so much that some amount of mainstream success could lie ahead for them. I really don't know how to describe it other than amazing.... probably the premiere metalcore album of this year. Fav songs = Ain't Love Grand, Lip Gloss and Black, Someone's Standing on My Chest

The first song on this record 'A Song For The Optimists' slowly fades in, into a thick black metal-esc guitar solo and the sound of Alex's very unique throaty vocal pattern, pummelling the listener. The more you listen to this record, you can't help but notice their musical style jumping out at you, as if their Guitarists went and took songwriting lessons from fellow label mates Darkest Hour, so much so that the main guitar riff at the beginning of the first track 'A Song For The Optimists', sounds exactly like Darkest Hour's 'For The Soul Of The Savior'. Now by saying that I am not ripping Atreyu, because I actually really like this band. One of the main reasons I do is that very same first track, which goes through at least 5 tempo changes, showing incredible range on the bands part, as well as the vocalists.

It's rather enjoyable to hear a band with this much range, and it's just the first song. This range continues throughout the record, adding in soft melodic rock (I refuse to say emo) interludes (see track 2 'Dilated') and fast paced hardcore two-steppin' parts to their already fierce black metal-ish approach. There is alot of melodic soft singing throughout this record, my favorite section has got to be the beginning of the third song 'Aint Love Grand?', vocals that are so soft and harmonious and pleasing to the ear. One of 2002s highlights, undoubtedly.

Heavy. Really f-ing heavy. Those words describe one of the greatest bands out right now. The band is Atreyu. And the CD that really shows their talent off is Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses. Released in 2002 from Victory Records, this is a brutally melodic album that shines in many categories. First of all, the lyrics (although overly dramatic at times) are strong and menacing. Lead singer Alex Varkatzas really knows how to scream. He probably has the best voice of any hardcore band. Only Matt Shadows of A7X can compete. The percussion is really great. Drummer Brandon Saller knows what he's doing. The guitarists (Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel) have a lot of creativity and skill. I love the finger tapping intro on Lip Gloss and Black, not to mention the great solo on that song either. One drawback is that the CD is very short. It clocks in at 40 minutes and there's only 10 tracks. But each one has a lot of aggression and emotion, so it's not so bad. The best track off of this CD is Lip Gloss and Black. But Ain't Love Grand, Deanne the Arsonist, and Tulips are Better are excellent as well. The other tracks are better than good too. If you are into metal, hardcore, or even some punk (which I hate) you will enjoy this CD. Another thing I would like to mention is that it's great when bands try different things and succeed. For example, the piano on Lip Gloss and Black. It was a very ballsy thing to do, but ultimately gave the song a more melodic feel. We heard Avenged Sevenfold try a similar (and equally compelling) effect on I Won't See You Tonight. Speaking of Avenged Sevenfold, I would compare them to Atreyu. They have a similar style, they're the same age, and both are original and refreshing. But the musicianship of Avenged Sevenfold is much stronger than Atreyu. So if you enjoy Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses (which you will), you need to get Waking the Fallen (it's the best album ever).

I completely agree with the review saying that a lot of hardcore is nohting new and that there are a lot of hatebreed ripoffs. There are even more poison the well ripoffs. However, i assure you atreyu is not one of them. For one thing, Atreyu's lyrics are not in any way unoriginal.Instead of the usual "Why doesnt the girl i like like me back im so sad" nauseating lyrics, atreyu's lyrics aree actually wel written and very original. As far as the music is concerned, no hardcore band that i know of has vocals as devastating as lead singer alex varkatzas, and no hardcore band has a drummer with as good a singing voice as brandon saller. I also have yet to find a hardcore band using the occasional swedish metal guitar licks played on songs like "dilated" and "at least i know im a sinner". The point is, just because atreyu is on victory and is associated with bands like hatebreed does not make them unoriginal. Listen to the songs on this record and decide for yourself.

Another great hardcore CD. Vox are unique, which is a big turn on. In response to the guy below unhappy with Atreyu's anti-Christian message...I don't find it anti-Christian at all. He (being Atreyu's lyricist) is not calling Christians in general weak, but he is specifically speaking to those who would judge him, condemn him, and act like complete jerks to him, yet they are the ones in the wrong by being hypocrites and not showing love. You know? It's more anti-hypocracy, IMO. Hope this clears things up for you and others. Just another view-point.

great band...extremely far from that "nu-metal" garbage that someone mentioned they sounded like...if you like them check out Thrice, Avenged Sevenfold, or A Fall Farewell

Alright, first off let me say i got this CD back a while ago when it came out and i loved it then. Then, let me say taht I'm not the biggest fan of "The Curse" (read my review). I just want to get that out of the way first, now onto the review.

Atreyu appeals to a large group of people, the emo kids, the screamo kids, and even some metal heads (like myself). Atreyu is genuinely a very talented band, and no one can deny that. A lot of metal heads hate tehm because they have a definite emo edge and a lot of emo kids like them becasue they want to listen to harder, heavier stuff, and this has that emo touch that they like. All that aside, let's get down to the band.

Brandon, the drummer, has a great singing voice (maybe to emo for some) and is a very talented drummer. Alex, the singer, has a decent scream, but it is kind of raspy and a little irritating, but I've learned to love it. Now Dan and Miguel, the guitar players, are both very talented as well. They harmonize very well and can unleash some really good riffs. It's not amazing guitar, but it's pretty damn good. Overall, they're a solid group of musicians.

Now, the CD. From the moment "A Song for the Optimists" kicks in you can feal the intensity and the power. THat intensity stays there and it carries through the whole album, each song having it's on little special kick. THe songs are catchy and vary greatly. There are one's that are a little more on the emo side ("Ain't Love Grand") and there's the more hardcore ones ("Deanne the Arsonist" more or less). They bring a lot to the hardcore scene that has otherwse been absent. They take the guitar work up a notch (making it more metalcore than hardcore) and make the songs extremly catchy, and they have very, very few breakdowns, if any. They make hardcore-esque music that can a ppeal to wide variety of people.

So, in summation, look past the emo or whatever else you may have a problem with and look at it as jsut music and you'll see it is actually a very good, solid CD. It ahs the intensity of hardcore, mixed with the catchiness of emo, and pulls it off great. And they have a great live show.

I might agree with people who say that Atreyu is hyped. Yeah they got a few good songs and a few catchy hooks but I'll digress they aren't really doing anything new. There are a lot of bands that sing about ghost and goblins (oh that's such a great nintendo game). Though I do think they got a few great songs that are really good, most of the other songs seem to just go *pffffff you know? Though I can see this is an alright album and if you like a few of thier songs go ahead and buy it, I wouldn't say it's as amazing as all the other people seem to think it is. So moral of the story is, if you like metalcore and songs about vampires knock yourself out, just don't go say this God's gift to hardcore.

Atreyu is VERY over-hyped. Very juvenile and generic lyrics, weak-sounding guitars, and very weak vocals. Just from the title "A Vampire's Lament" you can see they are targeting a certain group of teens. The guitars are perhaps overproduced, as they carry no weight or volume, no punch. My biggest gripe however is the vocals. Alex couldn't scream his way out of a paper bag. His vocals are seriously weak. Sounds like he has laryngitis or has strained his voice. The vocals just dont have the brutality that is required for this type of music. Listen to the punishing vocals from As I Lay Dying in comparison and it makes Alex seem that much worse. Even many hardcore Atreyu fans admit he's weak. There are so many better bands out there that deserve recognition, I can't recommend Atreyu to anyone looking for good metal or hardcore. The album is okay if you like watered-down hardcore or metal, but otherwise stay away.

This album is amazing.Great guitar work and drumming plus the vocals are very good going from a raspy throaty scream to clean vocals.This album keeps the music fresh while not straying from the base,like a story it is based around one thing then they tied the music together.this album flows great from every heavy to melodic part..from the speed picking and solos to the complete melody this album is far more worth its price.if you're a fan of swedish death metal/iron maiden influenced hardcore/metalcore like I am you'll definantly want to purchase this album now..even if you're not you'll love it.amazing album,cant wait for the next.