After speaking to us on this week’s Metal Hammer Podcast, Brandon Saller tells us everything you need to know about the forthcoming Atreyu album!

1) They’ve written 28 songs

2) They’ve whittled it to 16

3) 11 will make it into the album

4) The band were so excited to write again they didn’t take any time off after touring.

5) The songwriting was more group-oritentated than before; not just Dan/Brandon writing.

6)  Even Alex would come in and add things (“usually he wants to keep his distance so he can come with fresh ears on it”)

7) The band felt like they did when they were first a band writing music together

Alex is still angry. (“haha, Alex will always be angry.”)

9) The record has a “very dark tone to it”. The record in full has a very dark and grand edge. Almost every song on the record has this huge – not sonically huge – but it moves you in a way where you just feel kinda funny…

10) Tentative titles/working titles include ‘Spain’, ‘Sherminator’ and ‘Football’:  (‘Spain’: “incredible, probably the heaviest verse with the most melodic chorus we’ve ever done – with dual guitar parts that make you want to cry a little bit.” ‘Football’: “heavy rager with a crazy melodic chorus that throws you off a bit. Never give up kinda song.” ‘Sherminator’: “just a balls out rager. It’s heavy and pissed and it’s a shining moment from Alex. It’s about how humans are a plague on the earth, most humans fuck everything up with no regard for anyone or anything but themselves.

11) “A lot of the lyrics are in a similar vein to The Curse (not the vampire stuff, but the darkness).”

12) No guest spots are confirmed, but they have asked someone “extraordinary” (“I’m not going to jinx it by saying who we’ve asked but if we get him, everyone will shit their pants over if we get.”)

13) Alex is screaming again and its brutal – but he’s singing too. (“He’s really found himself on this album. He’s really defining his voice.”)

14) The band did feel the pressure of following up the success of Lead Sail Paper Anchor.