Emotionalpunk.com
Media Review
Music Quality: 8.0
Production: 7.0
Originality: 8.0
Tracklisting
2. Ex's and Oh's
3. Our Sick Story (Thus Far)
4. Your Private War
5. Shameful
6. Creature
7. My Fork In The Road (Your Knife In My Back)
8. Untitled Finale
9. We Stand Up
Admittedly, as their career has persisted, I’ve grown more and more in tune with Atreyu’s sound. It seems, as the band has progressed, they’ve gotten more and more accessible. Despite their nature to be a bit exaggerated—they can’t be that evil--“A Deathgrip On Yesterday” is a blistering advance from “The Curse.”
This time around, Atreyu have released 9 songs that are at once blisteringly heavy, with post-modern metal hooks and also strangely somber and sensibly pop. For instance, “Ex’s and Oh’s” is more of an early metal stage pop anthem, with it’s smooth intro verse swooning “you took me home I drank too much, cause of you my liver turns to dust…” and later escalating into a nearly whiny “but I degress…” in the song’s final stages. This fluid album brings everything Atreyu fans love to the table and takes it up a notch, with more sing-a-long choruses than ever before—and the intensity to match.
Atreyu aren’t doing anything new with this record. There’s that same mix of singing, screaming, and of palm muted breakdowns and melodic guitar hooks. But something about “A Deathgrip On Yesterday” is surprisingly enjoyable, and the songs are all constructed with the same aim to please. Their stellar fan-base will no doubt love the force driving this record—and with no doubt the band has come to their pop-senses with even more vocal melodies than ever before, inviting an entire new set of fans. It’s nothing spectacular, but really nothing is not to like about what Atreyu’s bringing to the table this time around.