Atreyu (NO)

Coming out of Southern California during the rap-metal explosion around the turn of the century, Atreyu crafted a sound much closer to Agnostic Front or Hatebreed. The metalcore quintet was formed by Brandon Saller (drums/vocals), Dan Jacobs (guitar), Chris Thomson (bass), Travis Miguel (guitar), and Alex Varkatzas (vocals). Their warped, detuned guitars are matched by pounding drums and acidic vocals, which give the material an edge otherwise absent from their sludge metal. Atreyu released various demos, including the seven-song EP Visions, in the late '90s before commercially debuting with the Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty EP on Tribunal in late 2001; the full-length Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses appeared the next year on Victory. Touring almost nonstop in support of the record, the group faced lineup changes as bassist Marc McKnight replaced Thomson before the recording of their follow-up. Atreyu's second full-length, The Curse, surfaced in June 2004 and went on to sell over 300,000 copies; it was re-released with an accompanying DVD a year later. The guys hit the road hard, playing 2004's Ozzfest and 2005's Warped Tour, in addition to headlining their own successful world tour. They contributed a track to 2006's soundtrack to Underworld: Evolution and were near the top of the billing for the year's Taste of Chaos tour, alongside the Deftones and Thrice. Their next effort, A Death Grip on Yesterday, was issued in late March 2006 and hit number nine on the Billboard charts. Following a summer spent headlining the second stage at the year's Ozzfest, Atreyu jumped into the major-label waters over at Hollywood Records, leaving an early-2007 best-of collection as their Victory farewell. Their Hollywood debut, Lead Sails Paper Anchor, followed later in the year. In 2008, the album was re-released with bonus materials, including a DVD.