Hello ATREYU, my name is Clement and I write for the German online magazine "Allschools.de". With whom do I have the pleasure?

This is is Travis Miguel.  I play guitar for Atreyu
 
Your new album "Baptize" has already been released. How have the reactions been so far?

So far the reactions have been great.  The Atreyu fans seem to really like “Baptize”.  I try to avoid reading reviews and I stay away from comment sections, but so far from what I’ve seen the reaction has been really positive.
 
If I counted correctly, “Baptize” is your eighth album. Do you still feel fresh or do you allow yourself a certain routine?

Keeping things new and interesting for ourselves is very important for us.  We’ve always made it a point to not constantly repeat ourselves over and over again musically. 
 
I have always assigned you and your sound to Metalcore. But in my opinion your new album (like the previous ones) is a step further and musically you can no longer be pigeonholed. How do you see it?

I pretty much see it the same way more or less.  We’ve been tagged with the “metalcore” term for years, and that’s fine.  I think people naturally feel the need to categorize certain things, and I get that…but we can obviously do a hell of a lot more than write brutal breakdowns and sick mosh parts with good cop/bad cop vocals.  That stuff will always be present in some way, shape, or form, but we’re always going to try to spread our wings and try new and different things.
 
You have been active since 1998 and in 2002 you released your first album. A lot has happened since then, you even took some time off. Now your old singer, who was there from the beginning, has left the band. So the new album is something like a spirit of optimism or a new beginning? Giving up or renaming was definitely not an option?

Yeah, it’s a rebirth of sorts.  New lineup, new decade, new album.  Calling it quits never crossed our minds.  We’re very aware of the fact that we are extremely lucky to be able to do this…especially after 20 + years, so we’re going to keep making music as long as we can.
 
Lyrically, you seem to have to let go of pressure. On “Underrated” you read the message “We are who we are, underrated. We are who we are, love it or hate it. Nothing can stop us now. “What exactly is the message of the album, the red lyrical thread?

I don’t think “Baptize” has only one single message.  Each song is its own thing.  Some of the lyrics are pretty straight forward and cut and dry, whereas other songs are open to interpretation.  It’s up to the listener really.
 
On the number just mentioned, you combine catchy, sometimes very poppy melodies and brutal parts. a trademark that has always characterized you. What are the influences behind it? I also hear a lot of rock influences, sometimes you even remind me of LONELY THE BRAVE.

“Underrated” was a song that kind of came out of nowhere.  It was one of the last songs written for the album and it came about pretty quickly, and when that happens, you try not to overthink it and just go with it, if that makes sense.  We didn’t really allow ourselves any time to wonder about where it came from or what exactly the influence is/was, which sometimes needs to be done.
 
Guest contributions can also be heard. Jacob Shaddix (PAPA ROACH), Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM) and Travis Barker (BLINK-182) have immortalized themselves. In my opinion you captured the essence of the guests very well in the songs. How did the collaboration come about?

The collaborations simply came about through a couple of text messages really.  We’ve been friends with the Trivium guys for a number of years, so it was literally just a matter of asking Matt Heafy if he was down to lend his vocals.  The same goes for Jacoby Shaddix.  We’ve crossed paths with Papa Roach numerous times over the years and have a mutual respect for each other’s bands.  Travis Barker is practically neighbors with our producer, John Feldmann.  Travis works out of Feldmann’s studio quite a bit so it was just a matter of Travis carving out a few hours to lay down the drum tracks.  We couldn’t have asked for better performances from the respective guests.  They killed it.
 
All in all, an album has to be attested to you that is bursting with inventiveness, variety and its own note. So anything but “Underrated”. To which bands do you listen to when you are on the tour bus?

I listen to A LOT of different stuff and it really depends to what mood I’m in at any given time.  Off the top of my head, lately I’ve been listening to, Leprous, clipping., Holy Fawn, Whores, Rudy Adrian, Cigarettes After Sex, Midwife , Love Sex Machine,…I could go on for days.
 
Thank you for the interview. I wish you and ATREYU all the best for the future. The last words are due to you:

Thank YOU!