Hollywood

If you find yourself in Hot Topic at the local mall' you know, the loud store with the wacky T-shirts, pierced-beyond-recognition staff and the quasi-naughty underwear marketed for tweens' you either are going to hear Atreyu playing over the sound system or overhear a debate regarding its genre categorization from a couple of underfed junior high schoolers.

Atreyu is one of the many bands that tries to ride the line between metal, punk and hardcore music. There is a little less screaming on "Lead Sails Paper Anchor," and a little more push toward classic distorted guitar shredding. More singing is usually good, but vocalist Alex Varkatzas can't seem to come up with interesting lyrics.

"Becoming the Bull," is the album's first single, which is quick and predictable, but one of the better tracks on the album as is "Can't Happen Here," which is more anthem-oriented. Most of the songs are odd mash-ups of hard-rock influences.

Atreyu might be going the way of glam metal, which probably would make its eyeliner army angry. "Lead Sails" lets the wind out of my sails and, frankly, fails.

 "”Joe Wertz