Atreyu
September 20, 2015
Troubadour- Los Angeles, CA
Two days after their long awaited album Long Live was released, Atreyu hit Los Angeles, CA for an intimate and Sold Out show at the world famous Troubadour. For those who may not know, Atreyu, the Metalcore giants, had been on a hiatus for close to four years, before reuniting in 2014. The band performed at several festivals, put out a new music video and released a 12 song record, all while packing venues across the US. No one forgot about Atreyu during the 4 year hiatus, instead, everyone anxiously and patiently awaited their thunderous return.
Before we go into the show, it is necessary to note that the troubadour is at least 5 times too small for a band like Atreyu, but this was good because fans got to experience them up close and personal. The band’s 13 song and 2 encore set began with none other than Long Live, the first track and single from the latest release. Mosh pits instantly broke out as the band went through their hits Becoming The Bull, Right Side of The Bed and The Crimson early in the set.
It’s truly an experience to see Atreyu because while singing and drumming are difficult to individually, imagine playing a hardcore blast beat while singing
melodies… you can’t! Unless of course you’re Brandon Saller who did a phenomenal job doing so, while managing to joke around with his fellow bandmates. Alex Varkatzas on lead vocals was definitely doing a cardio routine, constantly making sure everyone and anyone in the venue got a chance to see him up close by running from one side of the stage to the other while belting out harsh screams. He would constantly, and I mean almost every song- type constantly, stand on the barricade and reach into the crowd, who shouted the lyrics back at him. Dan Jacobs is a whole ‘nother story because this guy can really shred. Don’t let his stature fool you because his solo’s and showmanship were really something to see. Jacobs and bassist Porter McKnight would entertain the crowd by putting their respected instruments behind their heads while performing, riling up the crowd who cheered them on. Travis Miguel on rhythm guitar was a great element that really brought the show up to another level and together, their performance didn’t seem like they ever took a break, let alone a 4 year break.
The band performed a cover of Bon Jovi’s You Give Love A Bad Name before playing one of the most popular tracks of the new album, Start To Break. Although they only played about 3 songs from the new album, fans knew every single lyric by heart and sang them like they’ve known the songs for years. Although, when the band performed Blow the crowd went insane, probably the most crazy of the night.
After finishing their 13 song set, the crowd began to chant “Atreyu! Atreyu!” before the band even made it back upstairs to their dressing rooms. Within a couple minutes, the band was back on stage, having the crowd clap along to their song Do You Know Who You Are? To finish off the night, Saller told the crowd, “During rehearsal, we played this next song in double-time with a very punk feel, so we will give you the choice. Do you want to hear the song regular or do you want to hear the double-time punk version?” He asked to crowd to cheer for which they prefer and the clear winner was the punk version. The band complied and went into their punk rendition of Ex’s and Oh’s as the last mosh pits and last crowd surfers of the night, went as hard as they could.
Atreyu took 4 years off and came back with an amazing album that is currently #1 on the Itunes Metal charts and #8 on the Rock Charts. They perform like they never stopped, with such precision with their instruments and showmanship and they’re simply just a band you have to go check out.
Review by: Nicole Lemberg
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