Press Releases

ATREYU’S LANDMARK ALBUM A DEATH-GRIP ON YESTERDAY

REISSUED ON VINYL FOR 20^TH ANNIVERSARY

Metalcore pioneers’ Top 10 LP features smash hit “Ex’s and Oh’s,” standout singles “The Theft” and “Shameful,” and fan-favorites “Creature” and “Our Sick Story (Thus Far)”

2006 soundtrack rarity “Her Portrait in Black” also returns to digital today

Click here to visit the online media kit

Click here to pre-order/stream A Death Grip on Yesterday and stream “Her Portrait in Black”

Los Angeles, CA (September 15, 2026)—Craft Recordings proudly announces the return of Atreyu’s metalcore classic game-changing album, A Death-Grip on Yesterday twenty years after its release. A major turning point in their decades-spanning career, A Death-Grip on Yesterday boldly expanded the Southern California-bred band’s sound with bigger hooks and arena-ready grandeur. The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200—marking their first Top 10 LP—and delivered enduring hits like the chart-climbing smash “Ex’s and Oh’s.” Arriving on October 30 and available for pre-order today, A Death-Grip on Yesterday will be available on black vinyl as well as limited edition exclusive colorways: Fire Smoke vinyl (via Craft Recordings) and Blazing Yellow vinyl (via Revolver).

In tandem with today’s announcement, Atreyu have resurfaced an essential fan favorite from the same era: the savagely haunting “Her Portrait in Black,” now available on digital platforms. Spawned from the sessions for A Death-Grip on Yesterday (but not included on the album), “Her Portrait in Black” appeared on the soundtrack to the 2006 action-horror film Underworld: Evolution.

***

A key architect of the metalcore genre, Atreyu formed in 1998 in Yorba Linda, California, taking their name from the protagonist of Michael Ende’s cult-classic fantasy novel The Neverending Story. After introducing their blistering but melodic sound with two EPs (1998’s Visions and 2001’s Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty), the five-piece band landed a deal with Victory Records.

Signed to Victory in 2001, Atreyu made their full-length debut with 2002’s Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses—a powerhouse album that placed them at the forefront of the early-2000s metalcore explosion. Two years later, the band ascended to new heights with the release of The Curse, a gold-certified LP that shot to No.1 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart and featured iconic tracks like “Right Side of the Bed” and “Bleeding Mascara.”

Following a stretch of relentless touring (including high-profile runs including the Warped Tour), Atreyu returned to the studio in 2005 for the making of A Death-Grip on Yesterday, co-producing the album alongside Josh Abraham (Slayer, Alkaline Trio, Thirty Seconds to Mars). In a profound evolution for the band—whose lineup then consisted of frontman Alex Varkatzas, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist/vocalist Marc McKnight, and drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller—the nine-song LP found Atreyu sustaining their visceral intensity while pushing their sound into more melodic and anthemic terrain. The result: a thrillingly adventurous body of work that Saller later identified as “the first album we made where we took fearless leaps into the unknown.”

Released in March 2006, A Death-Grip on Yesterday showcased that newfound range on standouts like “The Theft” and “Ex’s and Oh’s”—a wildly infectious and hard-charging track that peaked at No.24 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and extended its reach deep into pop culture, appearing in Madden NFL 07 and Guitar Hero II and later heard on MTV’s reality-TV juggernaut Jersey Shore. Meanwhile, songs like the album-opening “Creature” and the brutally cathartic “Our Sick Story (Thus Far)” drew closer to the band’s musical DNA, ultimately revealing just how much ground Atreyu could cover without losing the ferocity of their early days.

Soon after the arrival of A Death-Grip on Yesterday, Atreyu finished out their run on the Taste of Chaos tour (where they shared top billing with the likes of Deftones and Thrice), then hit the road again for the 2006 Ozzfest. In a move that further accelerated their rise, the band also signed to Hollywood Records in time for the release of 2007’s Lead Sails Paper Anchor, which debuted at No.8 on the Billboard 200 and topped both the US Hard Rock and Rock Albums charts.

In the two decades since redefining the boundaries of their artistry with A Death-Grip on Yesterday, Atreyu remains a vital force in metalcore. With their current lineup comprising Brandon Saller, Dan Jacobs, Travis Miguel, drummer Kyle Rosa, and bassist/unclean vocalist Porter McKnight, their catalog now encompasses ten studio albums, including 2026’s critically acclaimed The End Is Not the End (released in April via Spinefarm Records). In a testament to their extraordinary longevity, Atreyu continue to command audiences around the world on sold-out headline tours and appearances at major festivals like When We Were Young, Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, Welcome to Rockville, and many more.

Next Sunday (9/20), Atreyu will take the stage at Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, KY. Known for an electrifying live show that hits with seismic impact, their upcoming live dates also include Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, CA, on Friday, October 2.

Click here to pre-order/stream A Death Grip on Yesterday.

A Death-Grip on Yesterday tracklist (20^th Anniversary Vinyl)

Side A:

Creature
Shameful
Our Sick Story (Thus Far)
The Theft
We Stand Up

Side B:

Ex’s And Oh’s
Your Private War
My Fork In The Road (Your Knife In My Back)
Untitled Finale

About Craft Recordings:

Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., and Joan Sebastian. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Daddy Yankee, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers. Craft Recordings is part of BMG.

For more, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

###