Key Takeaways

• New Song: Atreyu released their new song “Dead” earlier this year, showcasing their vibrant energy.
• 10-Year Rule: The band implemented a 10-year rule during songwriting, focusing on influences from bands they loved in their youth.
• Re-recording: They revisited their album The Curse to enhance its sound and represent their current lineup.
• Legacy Aspirations: Atreyu aims to leave a lasting legacy through their music and continues to evolve as artists.

Atreyu issued their new song “Dead” earlier this year and singer Brandon Saller revealed to Full Metal Jackie that they have a rule in place that’s impacting the sound of what they’re currently working on.

If you’re digging the vibrance and energy of that song, it falls in line with the group’s passion for the things that inspired them earlier in their career.

“I think we were all sort of looking back and really appreciating a lot of the bands we listened to growing up,” says Saller. “We actually gave ourselves a 10-year rule while we were writing music. We weren’t allowed to listen to any music that wasn’t at least 10 years old. It really kind of like put us back into our early influences of bands like Hatebreed and Soilwork and In Flames and local hardcore bands that we grew up listening to.”

He adds, “It was kinda cool to not be influenced by the modern world, just because I feel like there’s maybe a bit too much of that these days. I think that a lot of bands are so heavily influenced with what’s going on today that by the time they recreate that, or try to, that thing has already moved on to something else, you know?”

Within the chat, Full Metal Jackie and Brandon Saller also speak about the band’s recent anniversary celebration of The Curse on tour and why the band made the decision to actually re-record the album. The singer also addresses the unintentional drama surrounding the tease of “Dead” in which many questioned if they were breaking up even as tour dates were in place.

Saller also speaks on the band’s legacy to date and how he feels about their future at this point in their career. Check out more of the discussion below.

It’s Full Metal Jackie. Happy to welcome back to the show Brandon Saller of Atreyu. Atreyu have the new song “Dead,” which I’m gonna play for you, and they just finished up their celebration tour of their 21st-ish anniversary of their breakthrough album, The Curse. In addition to touring the album, you’ve re-recorded The Curse. Some bands do reissues. What made you want to revisit recording the album for its anniversary?

I think a lot of bands will probably agree on the fact that you make records when you’re really young and there’s things you would have loved to have different or the technology with recording and audio has come a long way and it was a chance to kind of go back and make it better.

It’s a tough, tough thing, because I know people hold albums sacred to exactly what they remember from them. But for us, that was the kind of main thing. With us doing this tour, our lineup is a little bit different than it was when The Curse came out, so we kind of wanted to give a representation of what this is now. It’s sort of like if you’re coming to see The Curse shows, this is what you’re gonna get.

Above all of those other things too, it was a bit of ownership. We’ve been a band for 20-something-odd years and this is the first time we ever have a recording that we actually own 100 percent.

It was a cool thing to be able to have a cool representation of what we’re doing right now and also give our fans an opportunity to directly support the band if they want to.

Atreyu, “Dead”

Brandon, what are your reflections of the time in which you recorded The Curse, and through this process of re-recording, are there things you came to appreciate about the original or appreciated having the opportunity to give it another try?

I’ve spoken before about the back half of the album. You kind of make a record and a lot of times, especially back in the day, like, you kind of front load your record with the songs that end up being singles or the more popular ones. For us, kind of revisiting the back half has been really, really cool and interesting.

For me personally, and our bass player Porter [McKnight], who we share the vocals, it was really cool to go back and sort of revisit our previous singer Alex [Varkatzas]’s vocals, because they were very much in his way and his phrasing and his brain.

So it was really cool and challenging to get into his head and try and make sure we paid homage to that as well. It was really challenging and fun for us to revisit and we’re all better performers now, so it was like you maybe embellish a couple things here and there. But we did try to stay as true as we could to the original.

Brandon, albums can very much be a snapshot of a particular place and time. For fans that grew up with The Curse, that’s a great sense of nostalgia and appreciation for that period of time. But for you as an artist, is it difficult to tap into that mindset of where you were in your 20s? And as a veteran artist, do these songs essentially evolve into something different over time for you as you get older?

For sure. I think everyone could speak on the fact that you’re a completely different human in your early 20s than you are in your 40s. So, looking at this record and revisiting this record with just more of an adult kind of mature brain, there’s obviously a lot of things that we probably could have changed more and embellished on more.

But as I kind of said before, the biggest challenge was to try and stay as true to the original as possible while still making ourselves happy with the forward motion.

Brandon, there are different ways to approach music. You can listen to as much as possible and let the influence work its way in or in the case of “Dead,” shut out the outside world, as Porter stated in a recent interview. Can you speak about your preferred creative process and give us a little insight on how “Dead” came together and why it became first piece of new music released?

When we started thinking about writing new music, we’ve always tried to just move forward in whichever way seemed right for us; I think we were all sort of looking back and really appreciating a lot of the bands we listened to growing up.

We actually gave ourselves a 10-year rule while we were writing music. We weren’t allowed to listen to any music that wasn’t at least 10 years old. It really kind of like put us back into our early influences of bands like Hatebreed and Soilwork and In Flames and local hardcore bands that we grew up listening to. And it was kinda cool to not be influenced by the modern world just because I feel like there’s maybe a bit too much of that these days. I think that a lot of bands are so heavily influenced with what’s going on today that by the time they recreate that or try to, that thing has already moved on to something else, you know?

We try to really look inward, look backward and look inward. And when we write it’s very much in the moment. It’s wake up and get in the studio and figure out where our start is. And “Dead” was actually the first song we wrote as a group. We went to Tokyo for a week and we wrote in Tokyo with our producer; “Dead” was the first idea that popped in and sort of became sort of the flagship for the rest of the process.

It’s Full Metal Jackie. Brandon Saller of Atreyu is with us and we’re talking about the song “Dead.” The tease for “Dead” certainly sent fans including myself into a tizzy with blacked-out socials and RIP. Were you surprised by fans thinking you were breaking up? And do you feel that fear or uncertainty ultimately helped attract listeners in what can be tough environment for bands these days?

Yes and yes. I definitely didn’t think people would take it to heart as much as they did. We had most definitely had some DMs full of frantic people worrying about our existence. But in our head it was like, “The song’s called Dead; how else can you play this?” You know what I mean? So for us it seemed obvious.

I think for everyone else observing it was much more dire and sort of nerve-wracking. But at the end of the day it worked. And luckily we were able to deliver new fresh music instead of ending our career.

Oh yeah absolutely! And by the way I feel like it’s just sign times nothing surprises anybody anymore because it’s like “Oh another band breaking up.” Because we’re just losing people; people are dying; bands are breaking up; like I feel like it’s just state things.

Everything is bit fickle these days but it was funny because we had made this announcement within days playing Louder Than Life festival; we had European tour starting week following so it was hilarious even other bands touring with were like “Hey is our tour still happening next week?” It’s like “Yeah guys it’s gonna be all right.”

Did you enjoy confusion might have caused?

It was painstaking not respond because it was like “Oh do we tell them?” It’s like “No no we have let pan out.” Keep going keep going.

Oh that’s funny.

We were talking about song “Dead” ultimately Atreyu are far from dead but song itself speaks aspiring leave some sort lasting legacy or impression if were end today what would hope people said about your band legacy left behind? Are there things ultimately like do with band haven’t done yet before time comes? Do aspire have Rolling Stones-like career playing into your 80s?

I think our kind aspirations goals this band far from over there so many things have not accomplished yet think there’s so much growth [to be had] There’s long road ahead this band long road potential.

There’s part brains band feel fortunate just stoked we’re still here people still care think drives even harder go further than ever imagined could.

But at end day we’ve always been band did what favorite bands did us Music me place get away from real life music me place just find honesty something feel.
READ MORE: Atreyu’s Guitarists Play Their Favorite Riffs

As far legacy if one person able find honesty hope shelter from world from our music then that’s great ’cause that’s what look from favorite bands but there’s definitely still very long road ahead.

Brandon while “Dead” currently standing its own you’ve worked some new music can give update where things stand are finding anything particular seems influencing direction musically thematically?

It’s definitely been inward experience We all just bounce off inspired each other when write music It’s very much group effort sort never comes actual tangible representation what trying do It’s whatever comes out moment think that’s why records always been different every time around There’s definitely want need within our band crank up intensity.

I think “Dead” speaks volumes where our heads wanna be far playing songs live overall energy band.
As close ending 2025 what been moments stood out you music world from past year Favorite albums concerts events really caught attention from past year?

Speaking just from band perspective we’ve done lot things this year we’ve never done This year went South America our own tour first time did first ever Australian tour period That completely sold out before tour even started So we’ve definitely kind hit some internal milestones within band have been really cool motivation keeps things excited next year.
Thanks Atreyu’s Brandon Saller interview Stay up date with band through their website Facebook X Instagram accounts Find where hear Full Metal Jackie’s weekend radio show here.