Has anyone got the modern metal thing down better than Atreyu?
It is a fair question, because on The End Is Not The End they sound like a band who know exactly what they are doing, exactly who they are doing it for, and exactly how to make all of it connect. Riffs, anger, hooks, self-reflection, moshpit chaos, arena-ready melody: it is all here, and somehow it never sounds forced.
That, really, is the trick.
Unlike their last album, The Beautiful Dark Of Life, which came at you as three EPs before it became a full-length, this feels like a proper album from the start. A complete thing. A journey, if you like, but not in some pompous concept-record way. More in the sense that Atreyu have thrown every version of themselves into it and somehow made the pieces fit.
“The End Is Not The End” is undeniably Atreyu’s heaviest album ever, but it might be their most adventurous too.
“Dead” starts things off and sets the stall out. Acoustics, harshness, proper metal guitar, the lot. It is all there within minutes, as if Atreyu are laying down the rules early: nothing is off limits, but everything has to serve the song.
“All For You” might be the best example of that balance. It is a perfect mix of riffs, anger and self-reflection, the sort of thing Atreyu do better than most because they have never been afraid of a massive chorus, even when the guitars are swinging. “Ghost In Me” is moshpit-ready too, with that unmistakable sense that these songs are built for big rooms and sweaty floors alike.
Then there is “Glass Eater”, which feels like a blast of icy cold air. “Here we go again, same old shit,” they spit, before a song about heartbreak, self-sabotage and trying to bury your pain. Irony? Kinda. But it is well done, because Atreyu never sound like they are wallowing for the sake of it. There is always movement. Always release.
“Wait My Love, I’ll Be Home Soon” provides a moment of tenderness and relief, which only makes the two minutes of battery that is “Ego Death” even more punishing. And even that one twists. One minute it is bludgeoning you, the next it has become almost a pop record, telling you it is “trapped in my own hell”. It was ever thus with Atreyu. They can make agony sound enormous.
“Death Rattle” has a punishing, crunching riff, one you can already imagine rousing the rabble live, while “Children Of Light” brings in Max Cavalera and, surprisingly, starts from somewhere more melodic than you might expect. Of course, that only lulls you in before Max does his thing, because you do not invite Max Cavalera along for a nice polite chat.
The line this album walks between ferocious and reflective is genuinely special, and nowhere more so than on “In The Dark”, where the hook reasons, “oh the mighty have fallen.” It is huge, but wounded. Heavy, but open. That is the sweet spot here.
The acoustics come out again for the superb “Afterglow”, which builds with the class and confidence of any arena rocker you care to name. And if nothing here hangs around too long, then the record still ends with its most lengthy affair, “Break The Glass”. In five minutes it almost ties every loose end up, packing in a ridiculous amount, including something close to an overture. From most bands, that would feel like showing off. With Atreyu, it just feels natural.
That is the thing about The End Is Not The End. It is heavy, yes. Maybe the heaviest thing they have ever put their name to. But it is not heavy in place of songs. It is heavy because the songs demand it. The melodies are massive, the riffs bite, the emotion lands, and the whole thing sounds like a band refusing to coast.
Modern metal, then? Atreyu have got it down.
Rating: 8/10
