A Collection Of Skulls With BRANDON SALLER From ATREYU

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs
**Apologies in advance, the audio gets a little scratchy going in
and out of reception**
Atreyu, where do I start here?
I assume everyone loves them as much as I do, but for those of you
who aren’t familiar with these legends they’ve been around fast
approaching 30 years and have well and truly carved their spot in
the metalcore space. In 2023 alone, they released two Eps and a
full-length album, which is where vocalist Brandon Saller and I
started the chat. Releasing that much music in a short amount of
time appeases the modern consumer who is waiting for the next best
thing to grab their attention.
I wanted to find out what their album The Beautiful Dark of Life
meant to Brandon, and it turned out to be a career-changing album.
Not only did it change the way the band writes together, but it
changed the way they communicate and share what’s going on in their
lives. You need to remember that it’s only just becoming socially
acceptable for men to express their feelings on any level, and I’m
grateful to see a band on Atreyu’s level leading the way. “We are
just people. You guys can do this shit too”.
When talking about turning 30 as a band, I wondered what advice
Brandon had received or wished he had received. Funnily enough, he
replied by saying no one really took them under their wing and had
more of a “Na, na fuck you guys” attitude about them. The most
important takeaway was to love what you do. When you stop loving
what you do, the magic stops.
There are so many killer albums from these guys and I needed to
know what era Brandon would travel back to experience and all over
again. #1 - The Curse (2004). The reason being he wanted to go back
to the start to experience that ‘first time feeling’ all over
again… have a bird’s eye view of that era.
#2 - Lead Sails Paper Anchor (2007), my personal favourite! This
album was polarising in how it was received, “Half of our fans
wanted to murder us and half were on board”. It was also a major
turning point in Saller’s career, feeling he was put on a pedestal
for this album and had a big creative reach.
In 2008 Atreyu/Avenged Sevenfold/Bullet for My Valentine had a
massive Australian tour and by all accounts it was an absolute
madhouse. I needed to hear the scoop from the horse’s mouth, and
all the carnage and mayhem you would imagine going down did exactly
that. From Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan singing opera at 7am in the
morning to the ‘Terrible Twins’ Johnny Christ and Jimmy (Avenged
Sevenfold) redecorating hotel rooms, there are some hilarious
stories. You will just have to listen for all the details.
There is a lot we cover in this interview that any Atreyu fan will
enjoy. He was an absolute trooper to talk to. Words from Brandon
himself, Australia is their favourite place to tour, so get your
asses to one of their shows and make sure they continue to come
back for years to come!