Atreyu – ‘In Our Wake’ – Spinning Thoughts

The energetic, Orange County based metalcore band Atreyu is back with a new album, In Our Wake. This is the band’s second album since returning in 2014 from a three-year hiatus that many speculated was the end for the group. The band was at the height of their popularity when they hit their hiatus, having released five albums, including 2007’s breakout record Lead Sails Paper Anchors, which spawned massive singles in “Becoming the Bull” and “Falling Down”. In Our Wake, which is set for release October 12th via Spinefarm Records, is a return to form for the band. There are heavy riffs, catchy, singable chorus lines, and attention-grabbing group vocals and chants, a signature of the band that makes their live shows a ton of fun to be part of.

The album starts off with “In Our Wake”. The album’s title track, which also serves as the lead single, is a fun song that was an obvious choice for the early release. The song has a great group vocal that is charitable and fun with a cool call and respond between the guitars and drums in the breakdown, and refreshing- albeit short- guitar and drum solos. The refrain is captivating and shows excellent vocal range.

“The Time is Now” is another fun song, and in the same vein that it was an early release to the record. This song also has great group vocals to start- very catchy and easy to get stuck on repeat in your head. Another cool catch to this song is that the verse line is all vocals and drums which adds a unique element to the sound. “Anger Left Behind” was the first song to be released from the album and got some airtime on hard rock radio. It is a really unique song showcasing a verse line that alternates between distorted harmonies and clean instruments to a very heavy riff accompanied by chilling heavy scream vocals.

The album is much deeper than the three singles already released. There are a few more songs with singalong worthy group vocals that have certain star power and mass appeal- namely “Safety Pin” and “No Control”. “No Control” specifically is a very powerful song that has a strong, heavy riff to open that bleeds into great low bass runs behind the vocals in the verse. The chorus demands attention with a very catchy, singalong group line.

Another really unique and captivating track is “Into the Open”. This song has some of the highlights of the album, engaging hooks and a solid group vocal, but the highlight of this track is the refreshingly skillful rapping during the verses. The intro of the song grabs your attention, as the group vocal builds into a strong, punk-like riff. But it is the quasi-rapping over a heavy background that makes this track noteworthy. “Blind, Deaf, & Dumb” is a heavier track that has a rapped vocal in the verse as well and seems to have some airwave potential with its attention grabbing vocals.

My favorite track on the album is “Nothing Will Ever Change”. This is a very heavy track that starts of strong and continues to gain steam. There are screams, harmonics, and double bass in the intro and the song takes fire right from the get go. There are some really powerful, driving riffs that lead to the breakdown, which features a unique, spoken vocal line. Another captivating track is “House of Gold” which has a really cool dual guitar line in the intro and alternates back and forth between a melodic and uplifting feel and a driving, heavy riff with distorted vocals. Another highlight for me was “Paper Castle”, which contains a very cool verse line that has drums, guitars, and vocals all in syncopation with one another.

atreyu 2

Atreyu is back with a vengeance with an album that not only returns to the heavier side of things for the band, but also contains enough mass appeal to keep the band relevant outside of the hard rock community. In Our Wake is the band’s best work in a decade and is not an album you want to miss! Make sure to get your copy on October 12th!

atreyu 3