I woke up in 2022 and made a decision that “if one of my favorite bands visits the area I will see them.” I am totally ready to rock and excited to say I will be seeing Atreyu this June at the Fillmore in Detroit. Did I say VIP tickets in June, hey!
If I were to quantify all things I love and feel about music, Atreyu tops the list of my favorite bands of all time. Atreyu and I go way back, to 2006, and like a normal relationship we’ve had our ups and downs, but the true love began back then. I was introduced to the band because a cute guy at the gym wore an Atreyu t-shirt. I did my research and found songs like “Bleeding Mascara” and “Ex’s and Oh’s” to be extremely tantalizing to my rock soul. I would add these songs and more by Atreyu to my gym playlist.
I used LimeWire to get my first songs but fell in love with the hard melodies extremely fast, so it was an easy purchase when their next album came out in 2007: Lead Sails and a Paper Anchor. This was the album I would listen to over and over. I found meaning in all the songs. It made sense to me on another level and opened my mind to a lot of other rock music like Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet for my Valentine.
My friend and I seriously jammed out to “When Two Become One” on a road trip driving home from college on M-20 in my red Ford Focus. I would play a lot of songs from that album for other people, but nothing tops the first day I met my (now) husband in 2008, because I burned him a copy of that album. We started talking about Atreyu because “Ex’s and Oh’s” appeared on Madden NFL 2007, and since I just saw them at the Taste of Chaos tour, I was super chatty, “Oh my goodness, I love Atreyu let me burn you their latest CD…”
I waited to be in the front row for Atreyu’s set at Rock on the Range 2009 (day 1) and it was the best fangirl chance to be close but it was a horrible place to enjoy the show. I was getting kicked in the head by crowd surfers and I just didn’t realize how the surfers got pushed to the front every time!? I left my prime position and stood out of the surf zone to enjoy the live music. They were singing all my favorite songs!
If I remember correctly, it was hard to wait for the 2009 album Congregation of the Damned to come out on iTunes. When it was released, I rocked out hard to this album, and as I read on Wikipedia today “they found their heavy roots again with this album,” I agree. Do I need to say “Bleeding is a Luxury” please be still my heart with “Coffin Nails.”
If you visit my YouTube Atreyu Playlist today, half of the songs are from that album.
I saw Atreyu perform live next on the Silver Star stage at Rockstar Mayhem 2010 and it was great to hear all my favorite songs! They seriously have the melodies to rock my soul over and over again. As a love song comes to an end, so did our relationship. It looks like a hiatus happened with the band.
When their next album Long Live came out in 2015, I was a new mother and not checking out new rock albums like I was learning to live in a bubble of motherhood.
In Our Wake came out in 2018, when I was very pregnant with our second child. I was listening to throwback r&b jams like I was on a break from rock & roll.
Baptize came out in 2021. I started listening to it recently because “Warrior” featuring Travis Barker is my six year old daughter’s favorite song. I have read that there are new lead vocals with this album, but everything is still Atreyu and stays true to their growth as a band.
As I listen more to the albums, I find myself pulling out an air guitar and banging my head to the beat when it hits me just right. The words have more meaning to me today and the melodies of the instruments come together to create a feeling that can only be described as joy, pain, love and anger all at the same time, and I would do anything “No Matter What” to see them perform again.
Atreyu is truly a band that has the ability to take me on a journey with each song. They have tested time with me, and I feel my heart pumping rock and roll through my veins because I’m listening to Atreyu again. Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you soon in Detroit Rock City!
Jenni Laplow 