ATREYU's MARC 'PORTER' MCKNIGHT: Supporting IRON MAIDEN Was 'One Of The Toughest Shows We've Ever Had To Play'

In a new interview with Samuel Acevedo of El Planeta Del Rock, ATREYU bassist Marc "Porter" McKnight reflected on a particularly challenging gig he and his bandmates had to play more than 15 years ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "One of the toughest shows we've ever had to play was in Monterey, Mexico with IRON MAIDEN in, I think, [February] 2009. And it was us direct support to IRON MAIDEN with MORBID ANGEL and CARCASS and Lauren Harris's band. And there was 35,000 people there, sold out. And the first 5,000 people at that show did not want fucking anything to do with any band but IRON MAIDEN. And because we were right before IRON MAIDEN, they hated us the most. Or maybe because we had tight pants and weren't as heavy."

He continued: "Isn't it funny that IRON MAIDEN's not that heavy, actually, but they have, like, the gnarliest fanbase on earth? They're so theatric and triumphant and then every fan is, like, beating shit out of each other. It's hilarious. I love it. I fucking love it. But that show, they threw a lot of stuff at us. There was a lot of physical violence. There were pesos being thrown at us. I actually got hit right here [below my right eye]. I have a dent in my skull from it, from a metal spike. Fuck, I wish I had it. I do have it, but I don't know where it is. I kept it. It almost put my eye out. I was headbanging really fast. And it hit me right [below the eye]. I was bleeding everywhere. It was fucking wild. So that show was difficult, but past those 5,000 people that were ravenous for IRON MAIDEN, [we had] circle pits, [people] singing along, we sold all of our merch — they fucking loved us. We had a blast."

ATREYU recently released "The Pronoia Sessions", a collection of eight reimagined greatest hits and two nostalgic tribute covers. The digital release was made available on October 25 while vinyl and CDs will hit streets on November 8.

'The Pronoia Sessions' deconstructs, recreates, and reshapes the Orange County, California, band's beloved anthems (and cover songs) as a haunting and hypnotic new collection. What began as an acoustic album evolved into a grand re-imagining of ATREYU classics.

ATREYU's riffs, hooks, melodies, lyrics, and passion are essential parts of a vibrant subculture's emergence across theaters, clubs, festivals, radio, and playlists. The artistic fearlessness powering landmark albums like "The Curse" and "Lead Sails Paper Anchor" is even stronger in 2024. "Becoming The Bull", one of the two gold singles released in 2007, takes on new life on "The Pronoia Sessions".

The songs reimagined on "The Pronoia Sessions" stretch back to 2004's "The Curse" ("Right Side Of The Bed") and 2006's "A Death-Grip On Yesterday" ("Ex's & Ohs", "The Theft"). Two of their biggest hits, "Warrior" and "Save Us", are reworked from 2021's "Baptize". And there are new versions of "Gone" and "Drowning" from their most recent release, 2023's "The Beautiful Dark Of Life".

In addition to their own songs, ATREYU offers dark takes on TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS' classic "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and the enduring, Chris Cornell-led AUDIOSLAVE ballad "Like A Stone".

ATREYU's unquenchable appetite for creative achievement and pursuit of a shared catharsis on stage drove them to form the band as teenagers around the turn of the millennium. It pushed them beyond their do-it-yourself beginnings to massive festival stages (including two runs on Ozzfest),sold-out headlining tours, movie and game soundtracks, and appearances alongside fellow genre standard-bearers, including LINKIN PARK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DEFTONES, SLIPKNOT and BRING ME THE HORIZON.

A bold chapter in the band's never-ending story of determination, "Baptize" was a definitive work for a new era. Like 2018's "In Our Wake" (which produced the band's biggest song of the streaming era, "The Time Is Now"),ATREYU recorded "Baptize" with producer John Feldmann. Guests included Jacoby Shaddix (PAPA ROACH),Travis Barker (BLINK-182) and Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM). Songs like "Warrior", "Catastrophe", "Save Us" and "Underrated" are massive, standing confidently in the band's catalog.

Breaking with music industry convention, the band's ninth studio album, "The Beautiful Dark Of Life", arrived first as a series of three four-song EPs, eventually collected all together with three more tracks. The band co-headlined with MEMPHIS MAY FIRE and toured with GODSMACK around the EPs.