REVIEW: Atreyu - The End is Not the End
- Julia Brunton
- May 4
- 3 min read
ATREYU have fresh eyes on their tenth studio album The End is Not the End, creating their most hardcore-infused album while keeping their signature blend of thrash and metalcore. The End is Not the End's fourteen tracks are placed with purpose to create a satisfying build and resolve, capturing the energy of the new heavier sound for its first half then resolving into a conclusive yet theatrical finale that demands to be heard.
A signature of ATREYU is their grandiose soundscape, which layers Dan Jacobs’ and Travis Miguel’s guitars in harmony and pulls ambient noise from everything from pianos to mandolins to add the melodrama. On the note of the instrumentals their time spent songwriting in Japan shows through with the sudden tonal shifts between tracks, shown wonderfully in Children of the Light with SEPULTURA’S Max Cavalera. The track opens with a full throttle drum lead solo that gets infused with electronica, then cuts out sharp at the end of the first section for just a theremin in a style that reminds of J-metalcore acts such as HANABIE. Children of Light also exemplifies the larger than life sound ATREYU perfect with long building instrumentals dropping into the chaotic breakdowns that make up part of a new heavier sound for the quarter.
Their exploration into a heavier sound has added depth and chaos throughout The End is Not the End, where Brandon Staller teases his scream in the first half: Glass Eater teases what ATREYU sounds like without a clean vocal element, going on the attack with volatile lyrics about a “hypocrite pacifist” supplemented by military style drum rolls and the breakdown dissolving in growing static. The commitment to the hard vocals comes in Ego Death, opening with scratchy power chords and an angelic vocalisation then devolving into the hardest breakdown of The End is Not the End.
The End is Not the End structures its fourteen track runtime wonderfully, taking a two act structure with a midpoint crescendo in Wait My Love, I'll Be Home, a ballad where Staller reaches out to a lover to wait for them atop a power-chord fuelled soundscape. The choral call to be guided home is beautiful, as is the final sentiment of the subject being Staller’s “greatest adventure”, then the tonal whiplash of Ego Death and Death Rattle taking The End is Not the End to its heaviest places launches the second half into something more chaotic and passionate.
The final two tracks build into album closer Break The Glass, utilising a building introduction then adding the piano in the midpart to foreground the grand finale energy. Despite the heavy build up, ATREYU decided to tone it down for the ending, finishing The End is Not the End with just vocals and electric guitar before fading out into static. Throughout the whole album every track feels intentionally placed to build tension or explore the expanding horizons of their soundscape which speaks to the amount of dedication put into the album as a whole.
Lyrically, The End is Not the End explores isolation and reconnection with those around you. One end of this is the focus on personal angst, including the ‘Why did I change myself' theme of All For You or the experience of ego death in the song of the same title. Others project the frustrations of isolation of those who are around including the promise of “You’re never going to break me again” in Break Me, or the disparaging of the subject of Glass Eater; metal and hardcore is often the space to vent about the people who cause anger or distress, and using this convention to convey isolation make those that convey reconnection all the more impactful
The lyrics that hit the hardest in Afterglow, which initially comes across as a ‘wait for me until I come home from tour’ track, but as the track kicks Staller muses on watching his children “grow up through the screen of a phone” it becomes clear Afterglow is a love letter to the band’s families. This paired with midpoint finale ties together the theme of reconnection as it covers the impact that being away from home for long stretches can have on the connections already there.
The End is not the End is a breath of fresh air for ATREYU, taking heavier and more chaotic sonic choices and mixing them perfectly with their already commanding style to create something brand new and on brand for the quartet. The intentionality of each track is clear throughout, and the themes of isolation and connection fit perfectly within the rapidly-moving parts of The End is Not the End’s sound.
Score: 8/10
The End is not the End was released 24th April 2026 via Spinefarm Music Group.
Words: Julia Brunton
Photos: Sean Stiegeimeier
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