ATREYU on Evolution, Isolation, and The End Is Not the End

Interview with Atreyu guitarist Dan Jacobs

There’s a certain pressure that comes with being around this long in metal. You have to evolve, but people still expect you to feel like you. That balance is all over Atreyu’s upcoming album The End Is Not the End, dropping April 24.

I caught up with Dan Jacobs to talk about the new record, writing in different places, and what still keeps things exciting after all these years.

This album wasn’t written in just one place. Between Tokyo and time spent in isolation, the environment played a big role in how everything came together.

“Absolutely. I mean in general, when we write an album we like to have it take you on a journey and not feel like it’s just a bunch of the same song over again. So writing in different environments in general has a thing about it, it has a vibe kind of attached to wherever you’re at.”

You can feel that when you listen to it. It doesn’t sound repetitive. It moves and shifts in a way that feels intentional.

They were just as intentional about what they didn’t bring into the process.

Instead of listening to what’s current, they avoided it completely.

“We didn’t want to listen to anything that was going on now and be influenced by it. Don’t listen to anything that’s come out in the last 10 years while trying to write, we just don’t want any of that seeping too much into our music.”

That choice gives the record its own identity. It doesn’t feel like it’s trying to fit into anything else.

When I asked what he wanted to do differently on this record, his answer went somewhere unexpected.

“I started playing saxophone about three years ago, and it was something that kind of almost fell in my lap… I didn’t know how to play it really well, but I showed my band and they thought it would be funny if I went up on stage for an encore every night and played saxophone.”

What started as a joke turned into something real.

“I was terrible. I’d go up there and completely butcher songs… but as time progressed I learned how to play and actually ended up getting good enough, so that made its way into the new record.”

It actually says a lot about how they approach things now. Try it, even if it might flop at first.

He also mentioned that one track in particular, “Children of Light,” leans more cinematic and includes a guest vocal that people probably won’t expect.

It’s the kind of detail that hints this record isn’t just heavier, it’s also more experimental in ways fans might not see coming right away.

We also got into some of the rougher moments, because not every show is a win.

At one point they were opening for Iron Maiden and the crowd was not having it. People were throwing stuff at them and it was one of those situations where you either let it get to you or you push through it.

Those kinds of shows stick with you. Not in a bad way, but as part of the process of earning your place.

Even with all that, playing live is still where everything clicks.

There’s a lot of excitement around bringing these new songs on the road. Some of them are the kind of tracks that will probably hit harder live than they do on first listen.

That’s always been a big part of what they do. The songs don’t fully come alive until they’re in front of a crowd.

With The End Is Not the End, Atreyu aren’t trying to go backwards and they’re not trying to follow what’s trending either.

They’re just making something that feels right for where they are now. You can hear the experience in it, but it still feels fresh.

Watch the full interview below

Make sure to check out The End Is Not the End dropping April 24 and catch Atreyu on tour this year.

Written by Devious Dayna
This Day In Metal