Atreyu Are Celebrating The 20th Anniversary Of ‘The Curse’ In Australia…

Bands of renown all boast a number of great albums to their name. But within that body of work there is always that one album. That magnum opus. That genre defining, gravity defying masterpiece that sets a standard by which not only their peers, but the band themselves are measured by forevermore. For ATREYU, THE CURSE is that album.

With their legacy as one of the originators and frontrunners of metalcore, and a reputation as one of its greatest live bands, ATREYU could have easily rested on their laurels with their notoriety assured for life. Instead they have embraced growth and evolution, seamlessly morphing between styles but always ending up with killer results.

July 2025 will see ATREYU return to Australia to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of The Curse with a series of never to be repeated shows that will see them play the songs from the album as well as other fan favourites. Brandon Saller talks to Hi Fi Way about the tour.

Another Australian tour, you must be excited to be coming back so soon after the last one?
I think it’s a testament to how the last tour went. Australia has always been huge at showing Atreyu love, and the last tour was extra special. As soon as we started mapping out these Curse anniversary tours, Australia was one of the first places on the list. We’ve always loved touring there. The shows were incredible. When we look back at The Curse era, the Australian shows were where we really saw a big jump in momentum. Revisiting those territories just feels perfect.

Touring with Memphis May Fire seems like a great pairing. Do you know those guys well?
Absolutely! I live literally down the street from Kellen, their guitar player—he’s maybe a two, three-minute walk from me. We hang out often, and Matty, the singer, lives nearby as well. It’ll be fun to go international with some friends.

Celebrating twenty years of The Curse, can you believe how fast time has gone?
It’s kind of wild. When you hit these milestones, they don’t seem that long ago. On one hand, yes it’s been two decades but on the other, it definitely doesn’t feel like it. The fact that we can revisit this album twenty years later and have people care about it in a big way is awesome. It’s a really cool feeling for us as a band.

Do you get nostalgic at all?
I didn’t think I would! We were a bit anti-nostalgia for a while, but we did a few shows in the States in October, and it was the first time we really entertained the idea. Those shows were so much fun, it was cool to dive back into the album, relearn things, and really dissect the record in a way we hadn’t before. Playing the songs again was an incredible experience. Unlike a regular tour, where the audience has mixed preferences, some like the newer songs, some like the singles, this was different. Every single person in the room was there for the same specific reason. The energy at those shows was insane, which is exactly why we’re doing more of them.

When you look back at The Curse, do you feel differently about the album now compared to when it first came out?
A hundred percent! There are probably a million things we’d do differently, but The Curse is really just a time stamp of where we were at that time. It was recorded in an unconventional way, even for that era, it stood out like a sore thumb in the audio landscape. I think that played a part in its success. It just sounded different from everything else that was coming out. Now, with twenty more years of experience under our belt, sure, there are things we might change, but it’s still a special record for us.

Was there ever a temptation to do a reissue or a remaster?
We love the idea! Revisiting music we wrote and recorded decades ago is really exciting because we’ve only gotten better at our instruments, songwriting, and production. With every record, we’ve learned new tricks and developed new approaches in the studio. Giving an album like The Curse a fresh take is definitely a possibility we’d love to explore.

Are there any standout memories from when The Curse first came out?
Absolutely. One moment that stands out is the record signing we did in Orange County. At the time, being a hardcore band, we thought it was ridiculous, signings were for pop stars, right? But the turnout blew us away. Thousands of people showed up, and instead of a two-hour signing, we were there for seven hours. The line wrapped around an entire mall that we all used to go to growing up. That was the first time we realised, “Oh, wow, people actually like our band!”

Another cool moment was getting featured on Headbanger’s Ball and even landing on MTV, which was wild for a band like ours. That kind of thing didn’t really happen for hardcore bands back then, so it was surreal. So many cool things happened that we never thought could.

To prepare for this tour, do you go back and listen to the album cover to cover?
For sure. For the shows we did in October, we rehearsed a ton. Since Porter and I split vocals, we really wanted to do everything justice and make sure the songs sounded as close to the originals as possible. I’ve been practicing every day, going through the set, making sure my voice holds up, making sure everything sounds and feels right. It’s a lot of prep, but it’s totally worth it.

Did it take quite a bit of preparation to play the album from start to finish?
Yeah, absolutely. We even had versions of the album with our individual parts cut out, so we can rehearse along with it, record the sessions, and really dissect our performances. We treated it like an athlete preparing for a competition, it’s all about refining everything until it’s solid.

Are there any songs from the album that are particularly challenging to play live?
Vocally, yeah, there are a few towards the end of the record, like Five Vicodin Chased With Shot Of Clarity and My Sanity on the Funeral Pyre. They’re really wordy, so I have to pay close attention to my breathing and phrasing. They’ve definitely been a challenge, but it’s been fun figuring them out.

Are there any new music in the works for 2025?
Definitely! We’ve been writing, but new material likely won’t be out until late 2025 or early 2026. Most of this year will be focused on these anniversary shows, we’re touring South America and more in the US as well.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch Atreyu on tour with Memphis May Fire on the following dates, tickets from The Phoenix…