Baptize is the newest offering from Atreyu.
Being the first album with Brandon Saller up front and away from the drums, I was curious to see what direction the band would go in.
Offering up 15 songs, Baptize is a bit of a ride. Starting off with “Strange Powers of Prophecy”, a short and sweet introduction at 1:03, this gives you a small glimpse into what this album could potentially hold. With a title like Baptize I should have been prepared but was still shocked to be greeted by this epic hymn.
After the intro I had no idea what to expect and was now ready for anything. The title song “Baptize” came steamrolling through and I thought to myself “fuck yeah, here they are!” – fully anticipating my face to melt off, but it never quite got there. This continued to happen through “Save Us” and “Underrated” until I got to “Broken Again”. The lyrical content of these songs is highly predictable, complimenting the ‘2021 positive vibes’ trend the world seems to be in.
Each song on Baptize has its place and Atreyu are incredible musicians, I can’t fault them at all in that regard – Brandon’s vocals are sensational and almost epic at times. I’m all for bands evolving
and trying new sounds, especially a band like Atreyu that was been through a lot and around for so long, however, Baptize sways too far into the overproduced/ commercial sound that just doesn’t do it for me.
Other than a few shining moments, this whole album reeks of ‘emo noughties heartbreak’ – with the lyrical content to back that up. I can’t help but feel like we are going to break into a Fallout Boy song at any given moment. With Blink 182’s Travis Barker featuring on “Warrior”, only fuelling my theory.
Amy Shark, Machine-Gun Kelly and Atreyu? Why not? That’s not confusing at all.
Atreyu still hold a place in my heart and if it wasn’t for their previous catalogue of amazing songs, I most likely would have dismissed this whole album. Looking forward to seeing what their next album is going to sound like and what direction the band will go in.
Baptize is out now via Spinefarm Records
Tracklisting
