Atreyu have once again fashioned a solid metal-core album in the form of The Curse- a clinic in the correct way of melding hardcore, metal, and melody. The guys kick off the record in an aesthetically contrasting manner with the eerie, ethereal, muted opener "Blood Children (an Introduction)", morphing right into the first "real" track of the 13-song album, "Bleeding Mascara" with manic drums and frantic guitar riffs laced with Alex Varkatzas' tortured screams. It's a brutal song, though tempered every now and again with drummer Brandon Saller's melodic vocal style. They've pretty much mastered the art of metallic hardcore, later incorporating a metal guitar solo atop a hellish breakdown. Yeah, there's lots going on here, and this is pretty much how the entire record unfolds.

The first single, "Right Side of the Bed", is less abrasive than this previous track, as it features much more melody and a lighter overall feel. Yet, as Alex mentioned during our recent conversation, there's "more metal, more heaviness" (good news being that they're playing Ozzfest this summer), and "more melody," than on their previous release, the well-received Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses. Melody creeps into quite a few of the numbers, including "This Flesh a Tomb" - check out that airy acoustic coda - and most notably the earnest, appropriately-titled "The Remembrance Ballad" and its follow-up the spatial and fluid "An Interlude". Followed by the devastating "Corseting", which is quite possibly the hardest of the bunch, this mellow piece is juxtaposed nicely. There aren't many real straight-up heavy numbers, except for "Corseting". In fact, in the vein of the aforementioned "Right Side", most songs feature both heaviness and melody. For instance, "You Eclipsed by Me", though tough as hell, features quite melodic parts amidst the fury of crunchy guitars, thumping bass, and rapid-fire drumming. This track also includes a massive hardcore breakdown, but still that trademark melody seeps in every now and then with less oppressive instrumentation and Brandon's clean vocals. The album, however, does end on an unmistakably heavy note with the searing closing bars of "Five Vicodin Chased with a Shot of Clarity" (Victory).

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