Having approached their twentieth year of being a staple in the metalcore scene, the prodigies of Atreyu still haven’t lost their spark (no pun intended) with the new EP The Hope Of A Spark (Spinefarm Records). Drawing from the commonalities of the quintet’s personal lives, each song is truly a shared effort among the five of them – not only musically, but conceptually.
The EP consists of four metalcore anthems, all of which are strong and memorable enough to be singles. With its approximate twelve-minute runtime, the band knew what they were doing when they left no time to waste. Each song says what it needs to say clearly and concisely, lyrically and musically, and then goes straight into the next one, making it easy to stay engaged. Every chorus hits like a freight train, immediately pulling you along for the ride that has you chanting along before you can even press the replay button.
‘Drowning’ opens the EP with ominous gang vocals dampened by a muffled mixing effect, simulating the way voices sound from underwater. This technique returns several times throughout the song, most notably for the bridge build-up into the final chorus. Between this and lyrics like “Watching the walls in my head growing higher, weight of my thoughts got me too tired to climb”, it brilliantly captures the feeling of being trapped in a deep depression. A breakdown wraps up the track in a fiery bow that automatically lights the fuse for the ticking time bomb ‘God Devil’. Sneering screams accompany a tastefully arranged metal groove with a wailing synth to maintain the threatening tone of the opener in an entirely new way. With its flawless execution, there was no better way to send off the sinister chorus melodies that seamlessly flow back into it for the second verse – and that’s all before the bellowing guitar solo that unleashes the groove’s fullest potential a few moments later.
Then there’s ‘Capital F’, the heaviest of the four, driven by rampaging riffs and dynamic drumming that accentuate the thick layers of screams. The lyrics tell it like it is with the downfall of humanity and the American dream, all with a hook that is made to be screamed live with an angry mob. The EP then closes with ‘Watch Me Burn’, a package of earworm melody after melody to ensure it sticks with you after putting it down. My only gripe with this one is that the looming tone of the bridge sets up the perfect opportunity for a monstrous breakdown, or at least a massive instrumental of some sort – but then goes straight into the final chorus instead. However, the brief breakdown at the end somewhat makes up for this.
Short but sweet, The Hope Of A Spark lays down a solid foundation for the future of Atreyu. It’s good old-fashioned metalcore, but it’s polished all the way down to the bone to demonstrate the band’s songwriting growth over the years.
Buy the EP here:
7 / 10
COLLEEN KANOWSKY