MARC 'PORTER' MCKNIGHT: ATREYU 'Intentionally Didn't Listen To' Any Music From 'Last 10 Years' While Writing Latest Single 'Dead'

After ATREYU blacked out the band's social media last month and posted the letters "R.I.P.", some fans speculated that the California metallers were breaking up. However, ATREYU later revealed that the tease was actually for a new song called "Dead", which is the band's first new offering in two years.

Speaking to Germany's Rock Antenne, ATREYU bassist Marc "Porter" McKnight addressed the fan speculation, explaining (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was kind of fucking hilarious how it got everyone so intensely. Bands do this all the time. Bands wipe their socials all the time. I mean, I guess the 'R.I.P.' thing, sure, was a little bit dramatic. And to be fair, the original marketing plan, which was by me and Brandon [Saller, ATREYU vocalist] of the band, the original things they wanted to put on the web site and wanted to say were way more dramatic. It had date ranges and stuff. And I was, like, 'That's a finality. That's too much.' Like 'R.I.P.' — the song's called 'Dead'. Sure, once it's out, they'll make that connection."

Regarding ATREYU's mindset when it came to the writing process for "Dead", Porter said: "When we wrote that song, and maybe others — I don't know; eventually we'll talk about that another time, but not today — we intentionally didn't listen to anything for the last 10 years and we wanted to get ourselves out of anything that is current. 'Cause our goal has never been to be the current, cool band. We wanna write songs that we love and we don't want to go with the same tricks that… If you listen to a lot of heavy music right now — all due respect, 'cause a lot of them are my friends — a lot of it sounds the fucking same. And we are actively trying to not do that. We did not wanna use a producer that was in the realm of it. So we used our friend Matt Pauling, who is a brilliant musician and even more brilliant producer. We actually traveled to Japan with him and rented a little Airbnb in this area called Shinjuku, which is like a quiet little village, as quiet as my little village [where I live in Germany]. And we wrote 'Dead' there."

He continued: "Sometimes, in my opinion — this is my personal opinion — we have fallen into the trap of writing predictable songs. That is based on producers we were working with. Sometimes it was intentional. You have to play the radio game, especially in America. You can't have screaming on any of that, so you have to write a certain type of song. And there are formulas that work. We have tried to, especially on 'Dead', write a song that takes you on a journey, write a song that makes you feel like it's… And, obviously, the chorus repeats three times, and there's a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro, as in every fucking song that exists most times. But we tried to do it in a way that was a little more exciting than normal. And I think we achieved that."

Saller talked about the "R.I.P." marketing campaign for "Dead" during an interview with Sultans Of Slack at last month's Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky. He said at the time: "Me and Porter kind of came up with that idea of doing that as the ['Dead'] rollout. And we thought, okay, this is a possibility that people might think we're breaking up. But we were, like, common sense would say, 'They've been a band for 27 years. They're probably not gonna break up with just a black photo and 'R.I.P.'' [But] no — it was wildfire. People were sending us stressed out, crisis-mode DMs — worldwide. We had a dude in Japan send us like DMs in Japanese and then translated in English. [It was, like], 'Please, don't let [it be true]. You can't [break up].' And we wanted to say something, but then you just can't. But it was wildfire. There was a lot that happened with that rollout that I didn't expect. But it worked. I mean, at the end of the day, it worked. People were, like, 'Man, it's fucking stupid.' It's, like, 'Well, were you talking about it?' 'Yeah'. 'Point in case.'"

Brandon continued: "In this day and age, it's hard to get people's attention, unfortunately, [with] a band just being, like, 'Hey, we have a new song.' But if you're, like, 'We may or may not be breaking up,' they might listen more. And it makes sense. With a song called 'Dead', what are the options for promotion? There's only a few things we could have done here."

Saller added: "We're far from breaking up. We have at least another six months. [Laughs]"

"Dead" was recorded by Matthew Pauling.

ATREYU recently announced dates for its upcoming tour that begins November 4 in Mesa, Arizona and concludes December 11 in Pomona, California. The trek marks the 21st anniversary of ATREYU's 2004 album "The Curse". A true breakthrough moment for the band, "The Curse" delivered staples like "Bleeding Mascara", "Right Side Of The Bed" and "The Crimson", which are songs that helped cement ATREYU as one of the defining forces in the mid-2000s metalcore scene.

ATREYU's riffs, hooks, melodies, and relentless energy remain a driving force in heavy music, with over a billion streams worldwide and a fanbase that keeps growing. The Southern California band recently wrapped a triumphant co-headlining U.S. run and tore through massive festivals like Download, Hellfest, Welcome To Rockville and Inkcarceration.

Since forming around the turn of the millennium, ATREYU has pushed well beyond their DIY roots — earning multiple RIAA gold records, Top 20 Billboard 200 debuts, and spots on major film and video-game soundtracks. Their latest album, "The Beautiful Dark Of Life" (2023, Spinefarm),debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums and has already racked up over 75 million streams, with singles like "Gone" and "Watch Me Burn" lighting up rock radio and flagship playlists like Spotify's "Volume" and Apple Music's "The Riff."

ATREYU is:

Brandon Saller - lead vocals
Dan Jacobs - guitar
Travis Miguel - guitar
Porter McKnight - bass/vocals