Track Listing

1. Doomsday
2. Honor
3. Falling Down
4. Becoming the Bull
5. When Two Are One
6. Lose It
7. No One Cares
8. Can't Happen Here
9. Slow Burn
10. Blow
11. Lead Sails (And a Paper Anchor)
12. [CD-ROM Track]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #120520 in Music
• Released on: 2007-08-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics, Import, Limited Edition

Album Description
ATREYU’s first single, BECOMING THE BULL, is featured in the forthcoming EA Sports video game, Madden ’08. The previous Madden video game sold over 5 million units. ATREYU is appearing in the third slot before Korn and Evanescence on the 2007 Family Values tour. The tour kicks off on July 20 and runs through September 2. ATREYU is well-established among the most popular alternative tours of the summer: They headlined the second stage of 2006 Ozzfest and were a headliner on the 2005 Warped Tour.

Amazon.com
Few bands can seize a dying genre from the grips of death, and no genres have needed such seizing the way that "mo music"--screamo, emo--has of late. Thankfully, Atreyu's latest entry in the rock & roll endurance Olympics, Lead Sails Paper Anchor, does that almost singlehandedly by eschewing allegiance to clichés and the staid sonic principles that keep lesser bands stuck in the land of the minor musical leagues. The Orange County collective's rarely sounded as voracious and vicious as it does on the opening "Doomsday," a smash-and-grab cut that calls to mind the halcyon days of Slayer. There, as on "When Two Are One" and the attitudinal, almost glam "Blow," you understand that heavy music is fully alive and well and in good hands. The band sounds primed for major attention as "Honor," "Falling Down," and "Becoming the Bull" all seem tailored for the bash and bang of arenas and stadiums. The more pop-oriented material ("Lose It," "No One Cares," "Slow Burn") will likely stir controversy and for good reason--this band's too good at cracking skulls to take prolonged and earnest respites in the land of hit singles. But everyone's gotta grow up sometime and Lead Sails is the sound of Atreyu shedding its minor-league skin. The breadth of sounds, moods, and emotions covered here add up to the elements of one powerful--and potentially classic--album. --Jedd Beaudoin

Customer Reviews

Amused/annoyed by the scenesters? Try this review instead.
Atreyu is one of those bands that seems to polarize people. As with many other bands who have been around for several albums and have begun to make money, the hipsters cry foul because their band did the unthinkable and "sold out" (as if that phrase is any more relevant these days than the term "alternative.")

The point is, this album features a different Atreyu, but not one that is entirely unfamiliar. The screaming guitar solos are still firmly in place, the lyrics dripping with pain and tempered by sarcasm are still around, but now the blast-beats have been replaced with more experimental time-signatures and drumming styles, and the vocals, though still harsh, feature more musicality this time around.

If you go back and listen to the last few Atreyu albums you'll see a definite progression. Their music has gotten more complex, and this album is the pinnacle of that trend thus far. The trappings of metalcore have been pulled aside to allow us to see the boys as what they really are: older, wiser and better song-writers than they were in the "butterfly kisses" era.

The first track, "Doomsday," starts things off with a bang, featuring enough savagery to be on your driving in the city mix tape, but a sing-a-long chorus that might surprise you. "Falling Down" really shows that Atreyu wanted to try something different, with a totally different sound than they've EVER displayed before: Metalcore-swing? Perhaps. There are other highlights too, like the poppy "No One Cares" where tones of the guilty pleasure of Bon Jovi bleed through the angst and brutality. "Blow" sounds like the raw punk metal of The Letters Organize, only slowed down a bit... fun stuff. That's the key: Atreyu sounds like their actually having FUN. I know that doesn't sit right with the hipsters (fun isn't cool, you know) but it certainly makes for a fun listening experience.

LSPA - Not for close-minded metalcore kids.
To start off, Lead Sails Paper Anchor is EPIC, just like their bonus cover track. It almost makes me think they chose that song for that reason alone.

I've been a fan of Atreyu since Fractures, and not once have they ever disappointed. Every album they released brought something new to the table and this one is no different. The thing is, while every album was a new progession, the songs within that particular album sounded similar. With Lead Sails Paper Anchor, every song is a new step forward. Every track has it's own unique sound.

And it's not like they lost their old sound or identity, they just found new ways to incorporate it. Try listening to the intrumentals for The Curse and Death Grip, and then try focusing on the riffs to this album. Same addicting complexity, just applied differently. The screaming is still there, but now Alex has decided to give the "all I do is scream, period" role, and delve into more singing. The Theft was a precursor, and an encouraging one. Now Alex sings AND screams, and the tracks all have much more complexity.

When it really comes down to it, the band isn't under any sort of ownership of its fans. We aren't stockholders of Atreyu. They're going to do what they want and experiment with their sound. Sure Falling Down and Lead Sails (And a Paper Anchor) are in my opinion, kind of retarded, and sure I'll skip them, but that's me, and it won't have any effect on what they feel like doing.

If you're a REAL fan of Atreyu, do yourself a favor and get this album. If you're close-minded and you try throwing out terms like 'commercialization' and 'selling out', then go ahead and "blow those words out the back of your head."

If you like " The Curse " and " A death Grip on Yesterday "....
Its Actually a good thing to see Atreyu progressing throughout their albums. Too many bands die because everything starts sounding like they copied their own music ( ie. Powerman 5000 ), which cant be said of Atreyu. The guys from New York have been able to turn out a much more complex and mature album every time, and to some that is leaving a bad taste in some people's mouths. Fans that want the same Atreyu again and again will be dissappointed...

Lead Sails Paper Anchor picks up right where A Death Grip on Yesterday left off. Less hardcore screaming will be had from Alex instead going for a more melodic style, complementing Saller's. Musically, the band has figured out how to write songs in expanded time signatures while also incorporating more sounds per song, in every sense expanding from " A Death Grip on Yesterday ". You'll find songs that sound epic, from slower ballads to harder tracks ( think " The Theft " from ADGOY ).

Part of the change has to be pointed towards the new label, which they signed a new contract with Hollywood Records earlier this year.

I personally like where the band is going. Die hard fans from long ago might easily be lost for fans of more melodic metal with less hardcore screaming. The musicianship expressed in Lead Sails Paper Anchor shows that Dan, Travis, and Marc are indeed getting older, wiser ( as stated in a previous review ), while also willing to grow musically and realize theres a lot more room for the band if they choose to change. Give it time, some fans will be lost guys, but broadening your sound has obvious benefits. Atreyu isn't going away any time soon.