"The Curse" Victory Records © 2004

Atreyu - "The Curse" 01. Blood Children (an introduction) 02. Bleeding Mascara 03. Right Side of the Bed 3.39mb 04. This Flesh A Tomb 05. You Eclipsed By Me 06. The Crimson 07. The Remembrance Ballad 08. An Interlude 09. Corseting 10. Demonology and Heartache 11. My Sanity on the Funeral Pyre 12. Nevada's Grace 13. Five Vicodin Chased With a Shot of Clarity

6 (out of 10)

"The Curse", the angst-filled, mostly up-tempo sophomore release from Orange County, California’s five-piece “metal-core” outfit, Atreyu,, is like one of those roller coaster rides that start out fun but go through so many identical loops that they eventually become monotonous, and all you want to do is get off. (Or is that just me?) The album’s opener, “Blood Children”, is almost beatless , drowning in gauzy synthesized effects and faint vocals, setting a haunting, uncertain mood. After a little over a minute, we are thrown without warning into the whirlwind guitars and drums of “Bleeding Mascara” which confirm that this is indeed a metal album. “Bleeding Mascara” is the first of many songs on "The Curse" which feature the band’s signature yowling/singing vocals, courtesy of frontman Alex Varkatzas and drummer Brandon Saller. The guttural yowl is very common in most metal-core music, whereas the vibrant “Ozzy-meets-Stevie Winwood” tenor is what sets Atreyu apart from other metal-core bands. Other songs where this vocal contrast shines include the testosterone-driven rock-radio single, “Right Side of the Bed”, and “The Crimson” with a melodic chorus that borders on being catchy. Sadly, after a short instrumental piece appropriately entitled “An Interlude”, the remainder of the album turns into a monotonous blur, each song more frantic and redundant than the last. “Demonology And Heartache” sounds like an AFI jam session, while the cries of “This is love!”, and “This is war!” at the end of the album’s closer, “Five Vicodin Chased with a Shot of Clarity” reminded me of sedated frat boys at a football game. (Oh, wait… That doesn’t quite work, does it?) In other words, it provoked much laughter from yours’ truly. In spite of the redundant filler, "The Curse" is definitely worth the buy for its majority of strong tracks. If anything, it’s an excellent album to listen to on your Walkman while working out at the gym.