Atreyu

A fire requires only one match. Sometimes, it can be struck in the oddest of ways, but once those flames spread, it's impossible to contain. After a three-year hiatus, the embers started to collectively glow again for Southern California metal trailblazers Atreyu—Alex Varkatzas [vocals], Brandon Saller [drums/vocals], "BIG" Dan Jacobs [guitar], Travis Miguel [guitar], and Porter McKnight [bass]. Everybody agrees that Dan first planted the seed, individually calling his band mates and urging for a meeting, but a different kind of call really set the wheels in motion. "The first time I talked to Alex in what seemed like forever was when I heard he and his wife were having a child," admits Brandon. "I reached out to congratulate him. That led to us having lunch together, catching up, talking about things, and discussing Atreyu. Soon, the five of us had dinner, and we began mulling around the idea asking, 'What if we did this again? How would we do it? What would we want out of it?' We all seemed to be on the same page. We agreed on doing things the same way. This wouldn't be a nostalgia trip. We were going to play shows and make new music. That was the spark that lit the fire." "The time away from it helped all of us gain perspective," adds Alex. "After doing like 200 shows per year for a decade, we were burnt out when we went away. Once we met up, we missed the band and what it meant to us. It was time to do it again. We were a hundred percent in control of our own destiny and fired up like never before." So, the group began writing in their Orange County rehearsal space, quickly tapping into the spirit millions of fans fell in love with, but harnessing their newfound wisdom along the way. In secret, they hit the studio with producer Fred Archambault [Avenged Sevenfold] and began cutting what would become their sixth full-length album, Long Live [Search and Destroy Records/Spinefarm Records] and first since 2009's Congregation of the Damned. As a "Thank You" to fans in 2014, they gave away their first recording—the scorching "So Others May Live" on their web site for free to an overwhelmingly positive audience response. In between rapturous high-profile gigs at Aftershock Festival, Slipknot's KNOTFEST, and South by So What?!, the group finished the album at their own pace and on their own terms. "It was such an honest process," exclaims Alex. "Aside from the actual sound of the production, Fred's biggest asset was letting us be ourselves and giving us free reign to do what we want to do. He kept the ship going the right way, helping us realize our ideas. We're at our best musically and performance-wise when we're allowed to be us. Long Live is us." The first single and title track is locked and loaded with a guttural guitar smash, visceral growls, gang chants, acrobatic drumming, and a massive choral refrain. It announces Atreyu's return with not just a bang, but a shotgun blast