Interview: Atreyu

Last week Atreyu released their new album 'Congregation of the Damned', their 5th album and their 2nd for Hollywood Records. Alter The Press! recently asked guitarist Travis Miguel about the recording of the album, working with producer with Bob Marlette, their current US tour with Hollywood Undead and more.

ATP: You've just released your new album 'Congregation of The Damned'. Is there a meaning behind the title?
Travis: It's basically a broad outlook on the way the world is today and how the human race in general could be in better shape.

ATP: I hear the new album's lyrics are darker. Could you expand on this?
T: Our singer Alex is a very observant and perceptive person. He writes about what he sees or how he feels, which at times, can be very dark.

ATP: How was did the writing and recording of the record go?
T: We didn't stray very far from our usual writing process. We basically spent a few months writing and demoing about 25 songs or so. Then we went into preproduction with Bob Marlette for a few weeks and fine tuned 16 songs. After that, we headed to Henson Studios in Hollywood to track the drums, which took about 4 days. From there, we headed into Bob Marlette's Blue Room Studio to track the rest. It was a long and arduous process but well worth it.

ATP: 'Congregation of The Damned' is your 2nd record on Hollywood Records. How has the band changed since leaving Victory for Hollywood?
T: We're all a bit older now. We've learned a lot. 4 of us have mortgages and 2 of us are married. We've had our fair share of ups and downs but we don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

ATP: How was it working with producer Bob Marlette?
T: Bob Marlette wasn't one of these producers who was kissing our asses, telling us we're gonna make a platinum record and make us huge rockstars. He was more concerned with getting the best record out of us. A lot of producers may solely work with drums and vocals or some may only work with the preproduction stage. Some producers don't work on albums at all and slap their name on the finished product. This wasn't the case with Bob Marlette. He was right there with us everyday manning the boards and getting his hands dirty.

ATP: Are there any tracks from the new album you'd recommend to new listeners and why?
T: Listen to the whole damn thing.

ATP: On the day you released the new album, you did an all day webcast. What was the reason behind this?
T: It's a big deal for any band to release a record. We wanted to share our big day with our fans.

ATP: Do you think online promoting is now more important than non-online promoting?
T: Promoting in general, whether it be online or not, is important. It's obviously easier to promote online and you can cover much more ground via the internet, but any kind of promotion is essential.

ATP: Recently you've been on tour with Hollywood Undead. How have these shows been?
T: We're about half way through the tour right now and the shows have been great. There are a lot of HU fans who may not have heard Atreyu or seen us play live so it's been great for us.

ATP: What has the reaction been like to the new songs?
T: There have been way more positive reactions than negative ones, so we really can't complain.

ATP: Are there any plans to tour outside of the US?
T: A lot of plans to go overseas are up in the air. I believe we'll be going to Japan for a few dates in January. Europe and Australia are always on our radar.

ATP: Is there anything else you'd like to say?
T: Go check out Congregation of the Damned...NOW!

As Travis said Atreyu's new album 'Congregation of the Damned' is available now and can be purchased here.

Atreyu's Official Website

Sean Reid