I remember how gloriously this band was applauded in the dawn of the so-called NWOAHM four years ago. Them journalists could hardly resist the temptation of calling Atreyu “the new Bad Religion with Iron Maiden “Powerslave” guitars and Vision of Disorder-esque vocals”. And when they released “The Crimson”, it seemed that no one will be able to stop them on their way to the top. But someone did. I suppose they did it themselves. Instead of going for the opportunity that fans and media were eager to give them, Atreyu turned the other way around, abandoning the cool pseudo-gothic imagery of “The Crimson”, calling it “not their thing at all”. It’s a sad state of affairs when singing about failed high-school relationships and how parents could be so unfair is what it takes to be considered emotional these days, but then Atreyu are not the soundtrack for your typical American teen movie. They tried to escape the blueprint they created in the past and obviously fell flat with their 2006 “A Death Grip on Yesterday”. Plus they had a few fights with their neighbors and current superstars Avenged Sevenfold, and at a certain point it looked like our Huntington Beach heroes were going down fast as a stone thrown from the last floor of a skyscraper. So, after the useless Victory release last year, funnily called “Best of”, now Atreyu have a new home, Roadrunner, and a new album. Should we part with our money for this record? The answer is rather yes, but please, be cautious, this is not “The Crimson” again. “Lead Sails Paper Anchor” is an attempt at approaching the positive, turning the whole record into some sort of plain rock music without any emo/screamo blows. It’s a brave step forward, because instead of jumping aboard the bandwagon, they chose to jump off it, taking the risk of ending up choking on its dust. This is what leaders do and with the new album, Atreyu may slowly go back to their fave position in your heart, but finding a different way leading to it.