American quintet band, Atreyu is one of the best metalcore bands that has graced the American entertainment industry. With over 179,000 YouTube subscribers, the band appeals to listeners from diverse backgrounds with their distinct metalcore style.
Atreyu was created in 1998 in California and currently houses vocalist Brandon Saller, drummer Kyle Rosa, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, and bassist Marc Potter.
The group was initially named “Retribution” but was later changed due to the group’s progressive music style and changing members. The band’s third studio album “A Death Grip on Yesterday” released in 2006 put them on the map as the album peaked at number 9 on Billboard 200 for weeks and several copies were sold out.
Over the years, questions on the religious status of the band have lingered among lovers of Atreyu. One of such is if the band is a Christian band or not. If you have similar thoughts, stay put, as this article will explore various factors to provide viable answers to your quest.
Is Atreyu a Religious Band?
Members of the Atreyu band have been very explicit about their religious beliefs and stance. The band members have not been identified as part of any religious group. The band’s vocalist, Brandon Saller in an interview stated that they don’t sing for or about any religious group, they just produce music that is relatable to different human experiences and aspects of life. Atreyu in some of their songs tries to send a message of hope to people going through several circumstances.
However, we found some elements of spirituality and religion in some of their songs and these can pass a subtle message about the band to their listeners. Let’s look at lines from some of Atreyu’s top songs that have been perceived to contain religious and spiritual themes.
“Strength comes from within, not from above
You do not giveth
Therefore you cannot taketh away
No being is my master
I am not a spiritual slave
Heavenly Father, Righteous son, Holy Ghost
Fiction!”
The lyrics above from “Of Gods and Monsters” by Atreyu show that the band is aware of the existence of God or gods whom people worship, but they do not believe in them. The lines also say a lot about the religious stance of the band.
In “Bleeding Mascara” by Atreyu, the artists make use of some spiritual themes to describe a ghost as seen below:
“A wraith with an angel’s body
A demon with a smile of gold
You soul-sucker, I won’t become like you
A killer with the perfect weapons”
In the lines below from “Doomsday” by Atreyu, though the artists are not talking about rapture and doomsday as it relates to Christianity, we’ve seen some spirituality in the song. Doomsday is a significant day for Christians, a day that is believed Christ will take the believers and the saved to heaven, leaving the unrepentant sinners to be tortured.
From an objective point of view, the lyrics of the song seem like the artists lost some special and are simply singing about the death of the person. Below are the lyrics:
“Seems that doomsdays came early this year
The last angel has gone
I can’t remember the last time I cried
The last angel has gone home
The memories stack up and they pull at my guts
………The better days hacked away leaving me only pain. This regret is never ending”
However, the evidence above is not enough to label Atreyu “a religious band” especially with the band publicly disassociating itself from any existing religion.
What kind of Music Band is Atreyu?
Atreyu is a metalcore band based in California. Their genre of music is a blend of elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. They utilize guitar breakdowns and riffs, death growls, screaming or thrash vocals, occasional blast beats, and heavy metal sounds.
Atreyu also makes use of clean or melodic vocals in their songs, especially in the choruses and this is another aspect of metalcore. The band also makes use of hardcore and post-hardcore styles which are characterized by aggressive vocals and creative expressions as seen in the lyrics and videos of their songs.
We can say Atreyu is a well-rounded band because they explore different music styles. Sometimes their songs are melodic and calm, other times they are dark, gothic, and aggressive.
Atreyu tries to fathom the storms in the hearts and heads of their listeners and produces songs to lift their moods and possibly help them overcome different life challenges. Some of their songs have very dark themes while others try to bring hope to listeners. The themes in their songs range from hope, greatness, self-discovery, confidence, revival, recovery, love, individuality, and strength to death, breakups, depression, suffering, hatred, fear, and anxiety.
The band has 8 studio albums, 4 extended plays, and several songs, each with unique vocals and instrumentation that appeal to listeners in different moods and from diverse backgrounds.
Is Atreyu a Christian Band?
A Christian band is one whose members must have publicly identified themselves as Christians and their songs are based on the teachings, ideals, and principles of Christianity.
Their songs must contain biblical messages and themes or should reference God, Jesus Christ, and other pillars of the Christian faith. To be labeled a Christian band, such a band must meet the above prerequisites.
Atreyu does not sing about Christianity, they do not promote Christianity or any religion in their songs. They have not publicly shown support for or affiliations with Christianity. As such, Atreyu is not a Christian band.
Atreyu Band Christian Songs
Christian music has become a relevant genre of music, especially with the application of different contemporary singing styles that make the songs appealing to a diverse audience. Christian music artists now employ styles like rap, blues, metalcore, pop and hip-hop, gradually tilting from the conventional hymns, praise, and worship styles.
The lyrical composition of a Christian song supports the teachings, structure, and beliefs of Christianity. Such a song must reference the pillars of Christianity and contain biblical messages and terms.
Having examined the songs composed and released by Atreyu, we’ve not found any element of Christianity in them. None of the songs can be classified as Christian songs. On this note, Atreyu has no Christian songs.
Is Atreyu a Satanic Band?
The notion of Atreyu being satanic has always lingered among listeners and fans of the band. Many opine that the band is satanic because of the dark and twisted lyrics and themes in their songs. Their songs feature many dark themes ranging from suicide to death, depression, ghosts, vampires, and other things that are considered demonic.
The aggressive tone used, cryptic messages and creepy graphics in some of their cover art makes it even more terrifying. Generally, a satanic band is considered as one that has identified with satanism, glorifies Satan in their songs, and have dark and horror themes embedded in their lyrics.
Some songs by Atreyu popular for their very dark, creepy, and horrendous themes are; Bleeding Mascara, Curse, The Crimson, This Flesh a Tomb, A vampire’s Lament, Shameful, Creature, Dead Weight, and Oblivion amongst others.
The lines below from “The Bleeding Mascara” by Atreyu talk about a ghost constantly tormenting a living being. Stories about ghosts can be terrifying to certain people.
“A wraith with an angel’s body
A demon with a smile of gold
You soul-sucker, I won’t become like you
A killer with the perfect weapons
Crystal eyes and a heart of coal
You soul-sucker, I won’t lose myself in you
Look how pretty she is when she falls down
Now there’s no beauty in bleeding mascara
Her lips are quivering like a withering rose
She’s back again”
The lyrics below from “The Crimson” by Atreyu portray the image of a bloodsucking monster. From these lines and in other lyrics of the song, one can hear the artists describing a scenario where a person changes from his/her human form into a monster and everything else becomes darkness.
“Boys do cry and with blood tears in my eyes
I’m an Anne Rice novel come to life
I can’t hide the monster, and more can only feel desolate for so long
Until one starts to change into
Something the mirror doesn’t recognize
Metamorphosis
The darkness has been biding its time
To claim its latest victim
Fresh meat for carnal desires
To become, what I became
I viewed the sun for the last time”
Even though some songs by Atreyu possess some features of satanism as listed earlier, we can’t conclude that the band is satanic because members had mentioned that their songs do not appraise any religion or spiritual being. Rather they sing about troubling life events, personal experiences, and the challenges humans encounter.
Wrapping Up
Atreyu has been very clear on its religious stance. They have outrightly stated that they are not part of any religious group and do not worship any religious or spiritual figure. From our perspective, Atreyu is not a Christian band and cannot also be classified as a satanic band.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!