A Death-Grip on Yesterday (2006) It's easy to dismiss these Orange County headbangers as overstimulated lads purveying the usual histrionics about inequity, rage, and personality disorders. Yet if Alex Varkatzas'… Atreyu Rock
EW's GRADE
C+

Details Release Date: Mar 28, 2006; Lead Performance: Atreyu; Genre: Rock

It's easy to dismiss these Orange County headbangers as overstimulated lads purveying the usual histrionics about inequity, rage, and personality disorders. Yet if Alex Varkatzas' I-just-gargled-a-pint-of-Drano vocals are metal's most annoying cliché, Atreyu's penchant for lyrical instrumental passages and transcendent guitar solos keeps you constantly reassessing their talents. The verdict for A Death-Grip on Yesterday: better-than-average latter-day thrash. (Now, if only latter-day thrash were better on the average...)

Originally posted Mar 24, 2006 Published in issue #870 Mar 31, 2006 Order article reprints