All about this artist
Biography:
This US metalcore band was formed in Orange County, California by Alex Varkatzas (born 17 January 1982, Orange County, California, USA; vocals), Dan Jacobs (b. 30 June 1982, USA; guitar), Travis Miguel (b. 25 March 1979, USA; guitar), Chris Thomson (bass) and Anthony Watson (drums).
Brandon Saller (b. 24 June 1983, USA) replaced Watson shortly after the band was formed. The members had originally met at high school and formed their first band, the punk-orientated Retribution, in 1997. By the start of the following year their name had changed to Atreyu (taken from a character in the movie The Never Ending Story) and their sound graduated sharply towards hardcore.
The Visions EP was released while the members were still at high school. After finishing their education the band regrouped to complete a second EP, Fractures In The Facade Of Your Porcelain Beauty, released by the Tribunal label at the end of 2001.
The EP attracted the attention of several labels, with the band choosing to sign a recording contract with the established metal imprint Victory Records. Their full-length debut, Suicide Notes And Butterfly Kisses, was released in summer 2002.
The band's impressive fusion of heavy metal and emocore attracted a number of glowing reviews, and established Atreyu as one of the rising stars of the metalcore scene. The quintet attracted further plaudits for their appearance on the 2004 Ozzfest and their own headlining tour of America.
Marc McKnight (b. 12 January 1983, USA) replaced Thomson for the recording of the band's second album, The Curse. The album introduced a more radio-friendly approach and featured the popular singles "Right Side Of The Bed" and "The Crimson".
Appearances on the Vans Warped and Taste Of Chaos tours followed, with the band graduating to the main stage on the former. At the start of 2006, the Atreyu track "Her Portrait In Black" was featured on the soundtrack for Underworld: Evolution.
Their third album, A Death-Grip On Yesterday, was released shortly afterwards.
