Atreyu needed their hiatus because their musical integrity was at risk, says guitarist Dan Jacobs.
They ended a three-year break in July last year and release sixth album Long Live on September 18 – and they believe the work is all the better for being refocused.
Jacobs tells Loudwire: “Because the only outlet we had was Atreyu, the sound started really altering.
“Stepping back and being able to do our own things, we could get that out of our system, find a comfortable place to have that outlet, and not let it affect the integrity of our sound.”
He continues: “The reason we’re able to come back now, be who we are, sound the way we do and be confident about what we’re doing, is that that’s not in the way any more.”
Drummer Brandon Saller recently called their latest material a “total reincarnation” of the band. Now he says of getting back to work: “All I wanted to do was make heavy music, and have a super-aggressive, energetic vibe. We were a lot more focused.”
Atreyu issued a video for the album’s title track in July and start a North American tour later this month.
Long Live tracklist
01. Long Live 02. Live To Labor 03. I Would Kill/Lie/Die (For You) 04. Cut Off The Head 05. A Bitter Broken Memory 06. Do You Know Who You Are? 07. Revival 08. Heartbeats And Flatlines 09. Brass Balls 10. Moments Before Dawn 11. Start To Break 12. Reckless 13. So Others May Live
Atreyu tour dates
Sep 11: Chicago Riot Fest, IL Sep 18: Pomona The Glass House, CA Sep 19: Sacramento Ace Of Spades, CA Sep 20: Hollywood Troubadour, CA Oct 02: Pontiac The Crofoot Ballroom, MI Oct 03: Louisville Louder Than Life Festival, KY Oct 05: Toronto Opera House, ON Oct 06: Montreal Theatre Corona, QC Oct 07: New York Irving Plaza, NY Oct 09: Boston Paradise Rock Vlub, MA Oct 10: Chester Monster Energy Rock Allegiance, PA Oct 11: Baltimore Soundstage, MD Oct 12: Norfolk The Norva, VA