Posted: October 27th , 2009
Contributed By: Nick
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Purchase @ iTunes Atreyu – ‘Congregation of the Damned’ Release Date: October 27, 2009 on Hollywood Records |
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Atreyu are: Alex Varkatzas (vocals) |
Produced by: Bob Marlette
Knowledge: ‘Congregation of the Damned’ is the fifth album from metalcore pioneers turned commercial rock staples Atreyu, their second since joining Hollywood Records. ‘Congregation of the Damned’ follows up 2007’s ‘Lead Sails Paper Anchor’, which produced Atreyu’s first taste of mainstream radio success with the singles “Becoming the Bull” and “Falling Down”.
Turn-Ons: Atreyu kickstart ‘Congregation of the Damned’ with a damn long song title. “Stop! Before It’s Too Late and We’ve Destroyed It All” is the twelve-syllable leadoff track that throws you into the melee barely twelve steps into the record. Starting with an epic intro that shatters its dynamic boundaries, the tune barrels its way through Alex Varkatzas’ schizophrenic growl-to-yell delivery, making the verses sound fit to be on a Dope album. “Stop!…” boasts voluptuous choruses that move with such a suave elegance thanks to a slower, more gradual change in key. Atreyu stamps the bridge with a bread and butter hardXcore (or any of its subsidiaries) breakdown, but because Atreyu’s doing the deed it makes it cool to like and enjoy. “Congregation of the Damned” zips up from intro to verse, giving the band ample room to breathe and feel each other out naturally while Varkatzas uplifts its impressionable chorus. Atreyu serve up a muddy, gloomy piece of down home pie with “Black Days Begin”, a trudge in 3 with the right pinch of Atreyu’s signature guitar cooking. The panning of the vocals in verse two is able to be effective thanks to a strong core, while the Nintendo-esque arpeggios paving the bridge are downright gnarly. I don’t know who the king is Atreyu speak of on “You Were the King, Now You’re Unconscious” but I sure do like Atreyu better when his ass is knocked out. Starting off with something similar to a Far-Eastern version of Stomp chockfull of nifty keyboard parts and choral style chants, the song envelops you in awesomeness before drummer Brandon Saller storms in with huge, 80’s arena metal styled flams down the toms. Most importantly, this tune about some passed out king has grooves that are not only fun but also still shoot to kill. “Insatiable” has a modest bag of tricks, alluding to Saller’s tom flams from one badass song to the north and ending with a beastly, memorable accent on the “-ble” of insatiable. “Ravenous” enters with the creepy sirens you hear on those old school sci-fi flicks, then careens into a revved up mayhem. As Brandon Saller fully utilizes his ride’s bell to match accents with Alex Varkatzas in an insanely good pre-chorus, “Ravenous” furies on, a menacing and cruel monster but a smart and thorough one too; with a melodic center this jolly, “Ravenous” can be friend to all. Atreyu take it back to the sounds of Papa Roach’s ‘Infest’ for “Lonely”, and they nail the crap out of it. It’s funny how well the dirtier, more unpolished vibe of “Lonely” matches up to ‘Infest’. “Lonely” can lay claim to best cymbal sound on the record, because the open hi-hat sound captured in the bridge was magical.
Turn-Offs: I read on the Wikipedia that Alex Varkatzas referred to ‘Congregation of the Damned’ as “…a total shitkicker….” I wonder if he knew how literal those words could become because there’s some things on this record that majorly suck. For starters Alex Varkatzas’s vocals are seemingly drowned out by the rest of the band, so there goes that. So where do we go from there? Brandon Saller nearly murdered my ears with his crash cymbal abuse during the first chorus of “Bleeding is a Luxury”, a song that always sounds like it has nowhere else to go. The worst part is, the best melodic component of the album, a magnificent string piece, is lost within the mediocrity of “Bleeding is a Luxury”. I don’t understand at all why Varkatzas decided to use “Coffin Nails” as his stomping ground for forgettable nu-metal growling, I mean no. Stop this. Like “Bleeding is a Luxury”, “Coffin Nails” has some blessed sections that become nothing more than ordinary when stuck with the sum of its parts. Then to my delight came “Gallows” two songs later, a song that mentally sent me straight to the firing range. Who told Alex Varkatzas that the nasally, screeching whine he exalts to alliterate the letter B in the first line of both verse one and two was a good thing? Also, the guitar soloing thing. Dan and Travis are great guitarists but with multiple solos in multiple songs, it gets really old fast. By the time Atreyu train-wreck at song ten, aptly labeled “So Wrong”, they’re just making my job easy. Before I go any further with that, I’ll just say this about “Wait For You”. I never want to dislike piano ballad, especially one as sincere as Atreyu’s; but I’m definitely making an exception here. Now, the big issue with ‘Congregation for the Damned’-the “trapped” feeling of Alex’s vocal work. I mean just listen to the single “Storm to Pass”. Or “So Wrong”. Or “Gallows”. I can sum the problem up pretty easily: You can’t squeeze wuss blood from a goliath stone.
King: “You Were The King, Now You’re Unconscious”
Queen: “Lonely”
FAIL: “So Wrong”
Cool Points: Atreyu did a lot of conservation on album number five but they also flashed brief yet bright glimpses of their past quite frequently. The overall feel of ‘Congregation of the Damned’ is very close to that of Atreyu’s 2006 release ‘A Death-Grip on Yesterday’. I think it’s pretty ballsy of Atreyu to resurrect this se׀ection of their catalogue. Also, I have a request for Atreyu: If you record a cover of Guns ‘n Roses’ “November Rain”, I will award this album a perfect score. It will be an absolutely amazing cover and I know this because “Wait For Me” + a good cover idea=”November Rain”. You might disagree but I’d love to see it done because I know that while it is a challenging song, Atreyu are more than capable of acing it.
Moral of the Story: There’s something lacking from ‘Congregation of the Damned’. Yes, in particular instances, but also as a whole. Atreyu’s identity sounds vague and deceptive where before it was more comfortable. And sure responding creatively and business-wise to uncomfortable environments is what defines a true artist in this business. But in Atreyu’s case, they seem forced to walk that middle ground against their will.
TuneLab Rating: 5 out of 10
131 Responses to “Review: Atreyu – 'Congregation Of The Damned”
Nick, A November Rain cover would be spectacular. Don’t agree with your assessment of this album. This album is an awesome musical journey for all fans of Atreyu (old and new school). I love the direction they are taking and think they will continue to seep into the hierarchy of awesome rock bands.
I definitely disagree with this review. I think if you multiply your 5 by 2. then subtract 1.5. That’s my rating. Alot of very catchy songs, some crazy-awesome guitar riffage and some humourous lyrics. All this makes for a much better showing than Creed.
November rain cover is an excellent idea
TNB, you and I have the feel for this band.
This is crazy…i just can give this album <6,0
Good mix of all their sounds (new and old) as flyfreak said. I really enjoy the direction they’re going and think this is a very solid album. 9/10 for me for sure and another of my favorites this year. Seems we don’t have much agreement w/ our album rankings lately haha.
Add Lucas to the “feel it” group.
the only problem with atreyu is half an album will be amazing and the other half will suck
Yeah , 50% SUCK — 50% not bad !!!
Whoever likes old Atreyu will never embrace the new direction they are going.
i spent hours detailing this record.maybe the band didn’t feel ME…
That’s not true flyfreak. I have been into Atreyu since they were on Victory Records. Atreyu and A7X are what got me into metalcore. Both of them ended up going mainstream but, I still love the stuff they put out.
Nick, November Rain is still one of your better ideas. Pat yourself between your legs for that one.
lol. That’s cool Nick. Sometimes you just don’t like the feel of an album. I really like it. I loved their last one thoroughly, and I love “A Deathgrip on Yesterday”, “The Curse” and “Suicide Notes & Butterfly Kisses”. So I like all Atreyu, and this album stands up to the rest. Maybe I won’t like it quite as much as Lead Sails, but that doesn’t mean it’s anything bad.
I agree with Nick on most points but I wouldn’t go as low as a five. Solid album but it didn’t feel me either. I’d go six.
I liked Lead Sails a lot and this one is even better. I think it’s heavier than Lead for the most part and the solos are really well put together on here. I’d give it a 8/10.
other than when two are one and exs and ohs. every one of their best songs came off their first 2 records.
and her portraint in black
wow! 5 of 10? i like it way more than that. i agree with everything flyfreak said except for one thing.
“Whoever likes old Atreyu will never embrace the new direction they are going.”
i loved the old atreyu but i still love the new atreyu. i am not one of those guys that hates when bands switch things up.
when the deftone sstarted showing their lighetr side i totally embraced that and love their last three albums. that is not meant to be a negative comment towards flyfreak because liek i said i agree with you. just not on that.
i am really surprise dthat it only got 5 of 10 though. nick does great reviews almost every time so i am really not complaining just surprised that’s all. so thank you nick
On initial listen, I am quite impressed. I am pleasantly. Hopefully, it has staying power cuz I can definitely see where it might grow stale after too many listens but for now it’s quite lovely and once I have money I will pick it up for sure.
I still say 8-8.5! Very solid album, nad I will always have a soft cold spot in my heart for Atreyu!
aside from a couple good songs, i don’t really care much for this cd. it just seems weak all around
This cd is amazing. A 5? You must be outta your mind. One of the best cd’s of the year.
5 does sound low… but then again, it is possibly their worst album.
I think the reason people aren’t quite as warm to this release as they were with Lead Sails, or older is: because it is catchy, but not to the extreme, as well as the riffage. Some solid sweet riffs but not all, and not whole songs and the riffs aren’t quite as outstanding as older Atreyu. So if Lead Sails wasn’t quite as catchy, and The Curse wasn’t quite as riff happy = Congregation.
That sounds about right… i mean, how many people just love to every-once-in-a-while blare BLOW as loud as you can as you drive 30 over the speed limit? That’s one MFing catchy song
Yo Peeps, the three bonus tracks (Bravery, We Are The Living Dead, and Another Night) are out of this world.
Nick you got the rating just right for this album, and your last sentence “they seem forced to walk that middle ground against their will.” I think is absolutely correct.
this rating makes me sad. however im stuck on diff bands right now and almost don’t have time to care…except i believe they could have done much better and so it does bother me…
I can almost completely agree with the last statement as well. But, seriously I have been listening to this record all day long at work, and I still don’t know how you can rate it anything less than a 7. That’s beyond me. Mind you, Nick did give new sick puppies only a 6.5 and gave the AC/DC rip-off cham city devils a 9…so he’s kind off on some imo.
Nick knows a hell of a lot about music and I do get a “j” from his reviews. But we all have differences when listening to anything. I would have a very difficult time reviewing female fronted bands, OLP, Drowning Pool, etc….Because I have fetishes that don’t always allow me to enjoy the music the way others do. One man’s trash is always another man’s treasure.
I agree whole heartedly with that staement. Like I said yeterday, That’s why I don’t knock the person, I’ll knock the stement or the review or the band if I don’t like ‘em. But it’s all interpretation.
Nick’s avatar is the only thing that saves his ass from my personal attacks on his character.
lmao.
Hey Flyfreak, I have “Another Night” on the copy I bought from Hot Topic- where can I find the other two bonus tracks???
I’m not kidding when I tell you this Justin. I think they were on Japanese imports.
Justin, they are Best Buy bonus tracks.
Best Buy is a major Japanese company.
Justin, just to clarify, the two songs you need are Best Buy bonus. The one you have is the Japanese bonus.
All this talk of Japanese imports is making me hot..
You need to take a cold shower with Heather.
lol. Depending on how she looks, that might not help with the heat, but definitely would with the loneliness…that I dont have?
Did you get to listen to the bonus tracks?
No I havent yet, havent been home in a couple days..hockey and gf.
i weigh 300 lbs and have zits on my ass. i eat frosting with a spoon from the container and i watch re-runs of soap operas. and i have 12 cats.
<3 my perfect woman. I love cats.
TNB, what do you mean hockey and I know it will soon be ex-gf if she gets ahold of these posts.
I play hockey, and lol yah, she doesn’t know about this site. But that’s probably because she doesn’t care about music alot. And you can tell by what she listens to: Taylor Swift, Lady GaGa, Kanye West, Stereos, Metro Station, Miley Cyrus…awful, awful garbage.
BTW, fly. I’m a goalie. Not professional, but I do play alot.
Hahaha, with that music taste it looks like your dirty little secret will live on for another day. Dude, I also love to lace them up. Usually in a forward position. I love crashing the crease to see what type of goalie I’m up against (not to mention the overall opposition toughness in general).
lol. Well if you crash me, it’d be the last time you crash. I bet I’d glove you down, All-Night-Long. I love to play the puck, like Turco, not like Luongo.
he’s gonna glove you down all night long, you hear that!!! awwww!
I’ll match your “glove down” and raise you a “butt ending”.
You liked that lil rhyme there, eh Heather? I’ll call you and go all in with an ass kicking by my blocker, and a spear to the neck.
Hahaha, I don’t think anything and I mean anything beats a good butt ending to the five hole.
lol yeah. good luck scoring five-hole on me. Butterfly goalie, with no five-hole. try that one out.
What level are you currently playing at?
I play Juvenile, and men’s league. But I did play JR. A for a bit, and a bit of JR. B.
That’s cool….Nothing like the smell of an ice rink…..
Lavender?
Back to the talk about this album, my fave off of it right now is “Bleeding is a Luxury”.
Also, as for credentials for the album, Nick should add Vocals to Brandon Saller. Cause he actually does all the clean vocals, and pretty much sings more than Alex does.
My top two right now would be Wait For You (it’s cool hearing them sing a ballad) and Gallows.
Yeah, both god choices as well freak. I would say those would be my second and third favourites.
I’m pretty pumped about the Mudvayne Dec release.
It’s beyond me why people dislke this album so much. it’s really, really good.
I really think some of their old school fans don’t want to come along for the ride. If they would have stayed true to their origins I wouldn’t be listening to them right now. I think they appeal to a more diverse audience right now.
100% agree. I only fell in love after hearing Becoming the Bull, Falling Down, Blow, etc. Before that the only songs I really cared about were, Bleeding Mascara, You Give Love A Bad Name, Lip Gloss & Black. So very big improvement.
Well Death Grip seems to be the transitional album for the haters to start slinging shit.
Which is funny, cause critically, it’s their masterpiece.
Well going track by track on Death Grip: Creature would be Old School, Shameful would fit New School, Our Sick Story (OS), The Theft (NS), We Stand Up (New School), Ex’s And Oh’s (New School), Your Private War (Combo), My Fork In The Road (NS), Untitled Finale (Combo). Overall, this is more relational to what they are doing today then Suicide Notes and The Curse are.
Well I agree. Definitely. My faves off of that album are: Ex’s and Oh’s, My fork In the Road, Our Sick Story, Creature. But yeah, definitely more new school than older stuff.
So going back to your original thought…..Three albums of very similar stylings with Death Grip being the “masterpiece”. I have no idea what all the bitching is about.
You and me are definitely on the same page.
I COMPLETELY missed that comment about the Mudvayne December release. I am so excited, probably only album this year left, that will maybe match 5FDP!
Sheesh guys, get a room.
Matt, there isn’t a room big enough to contain my sexy.
TNB, I’m almost sure a new Mudvayne single is dropping tomorrow.
OUSTANDING!
Now there is no room big enough to contain my hard on, MAAATT!
It was getting pretty hot in here earlier.
Oh, yeah of course. That’s what you get when you put me, Heather, and fly all commenting in the same forum.
But, we also got a lil carried away.
What happened to soapy?
It got so hot in here, I thought poor Heather would have had to take off her clothes.
Hahaha, Matt, Heather never wears clothes.
You’ll take one up the ass for that.
Yeah wtf did happen to soapy? I f**king hate that guy! He’s hot though.
Hey lambsy! welcome back after your 2 day absence.
Thanks buddeh! I was too busy enjoying everyone’s back and fourths that I forgot to make my own comments.
No problems. But we like your imput, especially in our asses…ha…awww.
Oh Yeah, it’s go time……
Diddle daddle boys, diddle daddle.
I feel bad for the people who actually came here to read about Atreyu and has to read this poppycock.
YA! Go get a room Freak, TNB, and Heather!! I came here to talk about….. errr… I forgot what it was I was going to talk about, I keep getting this visual of Heather in a room with the FFDP Mascot and a weird rabbit! Whoa!! I am putting my $ on Heather to kick the sh*t outta them both!! They walk out of that room a mess!!!!!!!
Anyway, this review in my opinion is WAY off!! I just grabbed this last night and it fkn RIPS!! It is a good mix of old Atreyu and new. I like it a lot. Nick is usually pretty good but he missed it on this one in my opinion.
Are you kidding me, that’s a great picture…uh oh.
see what happens when i leave the conversation?
Yeah, turns into a sausage fest.
lol. She likes sausage fests, but only when it’s happening around her.
Hmmmmmmm…….
Flyfreak likes the sound of that.
It’s beginning to sound alot like……….
…groupsex?
Did you guys hear the bonus tracks yet!? they are definitely still old-school
I wrote the bonus tracks.
I’m suing your for taking the credit.
That means, I want everything you own, and that does include Heather.
Hahahaha, I always knew that you wanted Heather…..
HA! MattJ, now ur stuck with her.
yall just go ahead and keep talkin like i’m not here, dammit!
Heather, these people are so messed in the head…..
You’d be included in that fly. Hi Heather. We weren’t sayin’ nuthin’…
TNB, you were the only one I was including “in that”.
lol well if I’m there, you gotta add yourself and Matt.
OK, just forget it. I’ll do Heather all by my lonesome.
Okay, we’ll have to see what Heather replies to that one now…
Silly Rabbit…
That’s all he gets? Damn, now I wish I had said that and gotten away with it.
hahaha i new yall would be expecting a “my strap on would break you in half” LMFAO
lol, yeah, something along those lines.
Perverts
Indeed MJ2010. But that is about 112% of the male population.
that was quite amusing…..
for the record i didn’t review charm city devils…
I wasn’t saying you did, I was implying the site, not you in particular.
“Silly Rabbit”……And the foreplay begins…….
lol.
I’m addicted to this album, I hope they keep this style.
Another solid album! 8.5/10
back on the atreyu tip i am wiht this album. as of this post, i’m only 10 tracks inm but there’s a couple issues i have wiht the tunelab review. though lets state where i agree with it first. i agree that bleeding is a luxury is filler and is going nowhere fast, and the nasal sound on the verses in “gallows” is bad (almost make alex sound like a wannabe SOTY vocalist). now to where i disagree. i think coffin nials is good, even if the chorus is weak. So wrong is very good as well. This album seems to be a good mix of their sounds, more hard rock from “Stop before its too late” thru “Gallows” and more trademark Atreyu metal onwards (again this is as of going thru 10 tracks, not the full). I do feel like all the good solos were crammed until after the first 5 tracks though.
“lonely” and “ravenous” seem to be a blend oftheir two styles, btoh tracks are solid. I hate the opening verse on wait for you, but the rest aint bad. a refreshing change of pace, outside of that cringe 1st verse (i’m sorry but no metal band should have the word “kiss” bookending one of the verses IMO)
see i have to disagree with flyfreak cuz im an old atreyu fan but i know they will mature as artist….andd this record with a few exceptions is freaking brutal plus the lyrics as always are dark.i give it an 8.5 because i think they could have arranged a couple more solos in songs i thought were lacking them….