Album Review: Atreyu – The Hope Of A Spark

Explosive, transcendent and powerful

For over a decade, Atreyu has stayed true to their sound as they have unveiled heavy-hitting riffs to impact the masses. The punk band has released several titles in their discography. Their latest EP, The Hope Of A Spark, has fans and tastemakers turning heads with a jolt of courage and filled with a hot punk fervor for the minds and eardrums of listeners to absorb into full radiance. 

The monochromatic neutral green balances the eyes as the listener observes the cover, with a stark black contrast to the background. The illustrated figures float among the space to illuminate an idea of each track as it documents the overview of the mood of the EP. The tone of the album cover has a haunted edge with a whimsical theme. The illustrations include synchronized dancing skeletons and a playful yet demonic shadow for a hand puppet on the bottom left of the album cover.

Diving into The Hope Of A Spark EP, listeners go under the waves with “Drowning,” which offers power chords with plenty of gamma rays of distortion to seep into a deep soulful abyss into the depth of the ocean. “The crowds in my head always blocked out the sun” offers a visualization of the action and create a poetic lyric to the appropriately named album. Up Next, “God/Devil” screeches into listeners’ minds as they receive transcendent messages in hopes of being reconciled throughout the song. The lyrical stanza, “Struggling to see the light,” shares the hardship the artists go through as they journey in the music industry.

As the light peers through the sky, “Capital F” breaks glass ceilings when listening because it offers a burst of explosive vocals to start the leading introduction. However, the break presented in the verses is a calmer tone to depict the narrative, allowing it to unfold for the listener. The lyrics “Building a city of gold just to destroy it” offers hope to grow an empire of great accomplishment, although destroying it doesn’t always have to mean that it is terrible, but a new beginning for something new to flourish.

From the flames, “Watch Me Burn” smolders listeners with the flare of the heat with the cadence of the rhythm and guitar lead. “Even when flames grow higher, I’d be fighting ’til I’m dead,” the lyric empowers listeners to keep going as the sound urges newfound courage. Yet, as hot as the track is, the melody soothes the burn with the song’s verses, the tune fading into ashes as the album completes.

Overall, The Hope Of A Spark EP offers encouragement to keep pushing into the future. Listeners hit replay for a common understanding of Atreyu’s message of wishful thinking. The punk album gets to the grit of hope with knowledge of the decay of hope, as it offers a strong sentiment of failure to get through the tunnel of doubt. If you are looking for a punchy punk that hits straight to the gut with feeling, Atreyu’s The Hope Of A Spark keeps listeners returning for more.

Ashley Littlefield: Ashley is a artist and music journalist from OC/LA area. She enjoys documenting moments and incorporates photojournalism into her work.
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