ATREYU's TRAVIS MIGUEL: 'METALLICA Is The Reason Why I Do What I Do'

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", ATREYU guitarist Travis Miguel was asked which METALLICA album he thinks is better, "Ride The Lightning" or "Master Of Puppets". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm gonna go with the obvious and say 'Master Of Puppets'. Me personally, my favorite album is '…And Justice For All'. It's a very strange album to be considered your favorite, because each song is, like, 18 minutes long and there's no bass, but that was my entry point to METALLICA, so I have a very, very soft spot for that album. But as far as the better thrash album between 'Ride The Lightning' and 'Master Of Puppets', I'm gonna say 'Master Of Puppets'. It was a bit more refined, a bit more, I guess, mature. I mean, not to say that 'Ride The Lightning' wasn't, because from 'Kill 'Em All' to 'Ride The Lightning', there was a huge jump in musicality. But even from 'Ride The Lightning' to 'Master Of Puppets', there was an even bigger jump, too — in my opinion. Somebody might call me crazy or stupid — I totally get it — but, yeah, I'm gonna go with 'Master Of Puppets'. … You've gotta figure, too, 'Master Of Puppets' came out in '86, so they were all still relatively young when they came up with that album. So, I mean, kudos to them. METALLICA is kind of my north star — they're the reason why I do what I do. So, yeah, I'm forever a METALLICA fan."

Asked if it all comes down to METALLICA's James Hetfield and his right hand, Travis said: "It's all of it, really. I remember the first time I ever saw the video for 'One'. I had never heard music like that before. The only thing I really knew about metal was what I saw on MTV. So we're talking about WARRANT and WINGER, bands like that, and their videos were all big and colorful, with pyro and chicks dancing on cars and stuff like that. And the 'One' video was the complete opposite of that. And it was extremely depressing. And I remember just seeing it as a kid, almost kind of being scared by it. But when you're that age, you kind of become fascinated with the stuff that you're scared of. So, yeah, that was my entry point."

Back in June 2021, Travis's ATREYU bandmate, guitarist Dan Jacobs, discussed his love for METALLICA in an interview with RadioactiveMike Z. He said: "We've played with them a couple of times — always at a festival, though; there's never been a METALLICA/ATREYU tour.

"They're the kings of metal — of rock and metal — they're just the biggest thing there is. So getting to experience that and see how they roll, it's really inspiring for any band, especially in the rock world. I mean, you watch what they do, and you're just, like, 'Holy crap, man.'

"When you're that big, you just have the best show; your show is so ridiculous," he continued. "It's so over the top in the most awesome, epic way. They still sound just as good [as], if not better than, they ever have. I mean, those dudes are just ripping at what they do. James Hetfield is an animal. It's a great experience. There's a reason why they're as big as they are and they have been as successful as they have. They're the real deal. You will not go to a METALLICA show and be let down."

Asked how he first discovered METALLICA's music, Dan said: "The first METALLICA I ever heard was 'Enter Sandman' back in the '90s. It was kind of around the time that I was just getting introduced to… I guess kind of really paying attention to music more than I ever have. I started watching MTV. Before, music was something in passing I'd hear on the radio. I sought it out a little bit. But this was the age when I was, like, 12 or 13 years old, and I was really pursuing music and really just obsessed with it at that point. So, I remember watching MTV or VH1 and METALLICA's 'Enter Sandman' would come on every once in a while. I liked it — it wasn't something that I super fell in love with, but I knew it was a great song [and it had] a huge sound, with the drums and the guitars and everything. It wasn't exactly in line with what I was listening to at the time; I was kind of a little bit more drawn to the punk world… As far as the mainstream — THE OFFSPRING and GREEN DAY and RANCID, which kind of led me down way more into the punk world, which then led me into the hardcore bands, which then led me into metal, which was kind of around high school time. That's when I kind of came back around and started listening to METALLICA a little bit more, especially a song like 'Battery'. I think that's probably the most standout song that kind of resonated with me as far as listening to quote-unquote older METALLICA… Out of all the METALLICA songs that are older, that one just, for whatever reason, sticks to my head the most."

ATREYU will release "The Pronoia Sessions" — a collection of eight reimagined greatest hits and two nostalgic tribute covers — this fall on Spinefarm. The digital release will begin streaming on October 25 while vinyl and CDs will hit streets on November 8.