(This interview took place with Alex, Atreyu’s vocalist on July 8, 2002 outside of the El-n-Gee Club in New London, CT)

Josh:  I actually want to talk about Victory first.

Alex:  Without Victory we wouldn’t have a CD.

Josh:  I remember telling Kathi that your CD makes up for a lot that they’ve done recently, and she said it was because she signed you.  Now if we could just figure out who’s responsible for that whole Taking Back Sunday mishap.

Alex: Angel.

Josh:  I remember you came onto Victory at the same time as three other bands, and you were all kind of grouped together.   And you were with Dead to Fall, Taking Back Sunday and Snowdogs.   Now, Taking Back Sunday and Snowdogs were two bands that kind of got a lot of heat from people when they came onto Victory and released their CDs.   Dead to Fall hasn’t really done anything yet either, but I’m sure when they do it will be good because I’m a fan of them.   The point is though, I think a lot of the bands that are on Victory and have been coming on recently haven’t really been the sound that Victory’s been known for, with bands back to the likes of Hatebreed.  And, I mean,  I like some of them, I like Thursday a lot but they’re not along the same lines as Hatebreed.    So I kind of felt that not only with Dead to Fall, but with your CD, a lot of that kind of sound had come back. 

Alex: Basically, we’re really happy right now with how tihngs are going.  We’re virtually an unknown band except for our Tribunal release, and not just here but everywhere.   Victory started off- I don’t know anyone’s intentions for anything, this is just my opinion- with Tony working his ass off and putting out a record and they built up into a corporation.  And you don’t start something like that with the intentions of losing money.  And he’s good at what he does.  It’s a record business.  He doesn’t act like it’s not.  He signed Thursday, and they promoted them, they put out an amazing record and Thursday’s huge.  They signed Taking back Sunday, in my opinion Taking Back Sunday put out a strong record that we toss on in the van I’m not gonna lie, and that’s what’s rad is that Victory can go from putting out just hardcore to expand to putting out Taking Back Sunday and Thursday.  Snowdogs... I can’t go with that, but... They’re just signing more diverse bands and it’s nice to be on a label that will experiement and try new things because that’s the only way they’ll grow.  And, you know, they sign a lot of new bands and they’re still taking good care of us.   We went from Tribunal, which is a relatively small label run by one of the nicest guys Matt, to Victory.  We don’t care who it came out with-- Dead to Fall are rad guys and a rad band.   I don’t really care what Victory does, it’s not really my business.  What effects us, effects us.  If they want to sign fucking Michael Bolton, great, but that’s up to them.   It’s Tony’s label, which is admirable that he does what he wants.  He’s doing what he wants.  I’m stoked.  I couldn’t be happier.  We went from being nobody to getting to tour all around and meet new people, getting to shows and our posters already being there in the venue, they sent flyers, they’ve done ads.   They’ve littered the internet with those annoying little banners.  We never had that before, so it’s rad.  I don’t think we got lost in the shuffle.  they space out their releases.  Us and Bloodlet came out at the same time, but we got the same amount of promotion.  We were partnered with Bloodlet in a lot of our ads.   Which is rad because to be partnered with a band like Bloodlet is really fucking awesome.  I couldn’t be happier, to be honest right now.  I mean, unless the album went platinum in the first week, I couldn’t be happier. 

Josh:  Why is it so hard to find pictures of you and bios?

Alex:  With bios, I’ll be honest, we’re lazy.  Our web site was supposed to be different a month ago but I just can’t seem to find the time to get the passwords off my computer and give them to my friend who’s going to redo the site for us.  And with the picutres, I don’t really think that’s important.      Just because when I listen to bands I don’t get on the internet and search for pictures of them.  I’m not putting down people who do, it’s just not something I ever did.  I like to read news like Lambgoat religiously.  And since we are young, I think people look down on us a little bit.  We’ve already ran into it.  People can be condescending because we’re not old people, I guess.  I feel a lot of people look down on bands that are younger than them, which is just fucking stupid.  There are a couple of bands that are younger than us and way better than us, and we’re not afraid to admit it.   That’s kind of why we don’t do pictures.  And southern California and Orange County just gets this reputation of being all about looks, and I don’t mean that in a bad way, we’re just not into fashion.  I just shaved my head the other day and I liked my hair before.   We’re not about that, we never have been and we never will be.   Music isn’t about how you look and it never should be.  There are bands that are amazing and maybe because they’re not J. Crew supermodels no one cares.   Like Indecision- I’m not saying they’re ugly dudes or anything- I have them tattooed on my leg, they’re my favorite band and I love them so much, but maybe they just don’t look cool enough for some people.   I think there’s a lot of that and it’s fucking stupid.  It doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s what you’re about.  That’s kind of my reason for not wanting pictures.    And not putting pictures in the CD.    We’re just weird about stuff like that.  We just did our promo picture the other day for Victory and Kathi didn’t tell me about it.  It was right after I bic’ed my head.   It was funny.  We try to be serious in pictures but we just can’t.  Plus, all of the pictures of us live, I look like I have a handicap. 

Josh:  How does being a west coast band effect you?

Alex:  In California, I don’t go to L.A.  I don’t really care for L.A.  San Fransisco is so far north I’ve only been through there once, on tour a month ago.   There isn’t really a hardcore scene in L.A., as far as I know.  In California, we have San Diego, Orange County, Santa Barbara has some bands and I don’t know if San Fransisco does or not.   All the bands from California that people like are either from Orange County or San Diego.   It’s a totally different atmosphere because out here there are clubs and places to go.  I think we’re down to one real all ages venue.    But a lot more kids in that area are really getting into heavier music, and that’s good.  I’d rather have kids in band and into music than something like... football.

Josh:  Or just sitting at home watching television.

Alex:  Yeah, unless if it’s the Simpsons.

Josh:  But I sit home and type interviews, that’s all I do.

Alex:  But that’s good because a lot of kids sit on the internet and just type bad shit about bands.  And I’m going to go off on this.  Basically, you’re doing something productive for something that you love.   A lot of kids get on the internet and talk shit.   Like I’m supposed to sit there, read their posts and go, “Oh my God, you think my voice sucks, fuck, I’m gonna quit Atreyu!”  I could give two flying shits what you think.  Go jump off a fucking cliff.  You took five fucking minutes of your life to talk shit about us, and I come across it by chance.  What do I care?  I honestly don’t even look at it any more.   Back when I was younger, I would get really butt hurt because we were just kids trying to play music.  We’re no different than anyone else.  What gives anyone the right to talk shit?   I’m just like you.  I’m twenty years old.  I like the same bands you do.  And I’ve got the balls to get up there.  You’re just going to sit there and talk shit on the internet... saying I suck, saying I’m ruining hardcore, I’m a sell out or just whatever.   Fucking... kiss my ass.   I used to get bitter, and now I just laugh.   My friend Josh runs this site www.notpopular.com, I saw the message board one day this kid made up this huge story, says he knew me and I sold out punk to be hardcore- because you can’t like both you know- and he made up this story about how I was wearing a Discharge shirt one day, and I do own a Discharge shirt, and the next day I had a Strife jersey on.  I have never worn a jersey in my life except for one night at my friend Sergio’s house when my shirt got all sweaty and dirty, I put on a Blood for Blood jersey and went to sleep in it.  People just want to make up shit and talk trash, and just laugh with their friends about how funny it is.  I used to write back and shut people down, but then I realized I was just as bad as them by taking the time to respond.   I think it’s very unproductive and people should just shut up.  I don’t think there’s a single band out there that broke up because some fucking fourteen year old kid on the internet was like, “Your singer’s terrible”.    I was on a message board and all these kids were talking shit on From Autumn to Ashes.  They’re a good band, they’ve sold a lot of records and they’re amazing live.  Do you think their drummer really reads it and goes, “Oh, you think I sing out of key?  Fuck, I should quit”?   A long time ago a kid sent me an email and was like, “Do the world a favor and quit the band” and I was like, “You know what, I’m gonna do it.   No wait, suck my dick, I don’t fucking care”.   We are definitely going to break up because you are twelve years old and you want us to.  Seriously, my life revolves around what kids on the internet say.   I remember going to this message board and this one kid was talking shit about us and saying his band was so much better.   So I figured I’d go check out his band.   Now, I’m hard pressed to find a band that I think sucks.  I don’t like Limp Bizkit, but I don’t think they suck, they’re obviously doing something right.   I don’t like Korn, but they’re doing something right, people like them, they can play their instruments, so they don’t suck.   I downloaded this kid’s band- David is Burning- and they suck.  Just because you’re fucking fourteen years old and in a crappy band, don’t take it out on me because I’m doing something I love.  It’s just stupid.  What did you hope to accomplish?  Alienating someone?  Your music does that pretty well itself.  But different strokes for different folks.   Maybe someone listens to them and loves them.    People just make shit up.   And they write these huge paragraphs you know took them at least twenty minutes to formulate.  To waste your time on something like that on me is flattering. 

Josh:  I  want to shift gears a lot and talk about a particular song of yours.

Alex:  I think I know what’s coming.

Josh:  Does this come up a lot?  I mean, I can take this a different couple of ways, but I want to know how it’s meant to betaken.

Alex:  “At Least I Know I’m a Sinner”?  Is that the one?

Josh:  Yeah.   I don’t want to say it’s satanic, but maybe atheist is the right word?

Alex:  My thing is- and when I’m speaking right now I’m speaking for myself and not everyone in Atreyu even though a lot of us feel the same way- basically, that song isn’t about religion per se, but about a group of Christian people who were very hypocritical.   I have nothing against Christians, I have something against hypocrites.  It’s just about how these people pass judgement on me- which is something only their God is supposed to be able to do- and they criticize me for things I do, then six months later they turn around and do the same things.   I laugh.  I stay true to myself and my god, and what I believe.  These people are hypocrites, and if their god is cool with that, then he’s not a god I want anything to do with.  People are going to read this and hate me for it, and think I’m an athiest or a sinner, and I don’t care.   To me, religion is a very personal thing.  Everyone has their different views.  I don’t think anyone is right or wrong.  We believe what we choose to believe.   People can preach to me all they want, I’m not going to change my mind.   I fully support Christianity, Judism, Buddhism, whatever anybody wants to believe.   Because true belief and faith are the most beautiful thing to me.  Not faith and people in brick houses that tell us what to believe- and I don’t mean that in an anti-church way.  But just the people who won’t let you into a certain group because of your beliefs.  It’s like, uh, hi, Hitler, you know.  I’m not saying all Christians are like that, I’m not even saying a lot of Christians are like that.  When I think about it- and anyone can take it any way they want that’s the beauty about music and lyrics- I wrote it about a bunch of people who pissed me off and are hypocrites.