The first time I ever heard Atreyu, I started laughing. Everything about them was laughable to me; from the name of the record Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses to the overly typical "singing into screaming into mosh" formula they followed, to the already played out "fashioncore" image they displayed. However, after my laughter subsided, I also said to myself, "this band is going to be huge." Sure enough, a few years down the line, Atreyu is on Ozzfest, selling out shows to random teens in AFI shirts and moving units like it's going out of style. It turns out I was right about their success. It also turns out that I still think they are comical, but this time on a different level; as a talented band that just happens to be very gimmicky.
The first thing I noticed about this record though was the horrible cover art; a model in just a bra and underwear with vampire fangs instead of teeth- so utterly ridiculous. Upon my first listening of The Curse I noticed that Atreyu is as much in debt to arena rockers like Journey as they are to the metal bands they constantly try emulate. The first two (real) songs "Bleeding Mascara" and "Right Side of the Bed" really set the pace for the entire record; blazing riffs, hilariously silly lyrics like "lips are quivering like a withering rose," cock rock parts, screaming, and over the top singing. There is also the occasional breakdown just to keep the bro's happy. The rest of the record follows in this same pattern, no song really separating itself much from the next.
Incidentally, I don't hate this as much as I wanted to because (sadly) Atreyu really does know how to write a fairly catchy song. The Curse is nothing I would listen to on a regular basis, but compared to the records that many of their contemporaries are releasing, this one is at least somewhat interesting. My guess is that this record won't really win over people who hate Atreyu, but those who are already fans will be pleased.
