There’s a sense Atreyu intend to super-serve listeners on their eighth album, given its 15 tracks and roster of big name special guests. And who can blame them? This is, after all, their first full-length release with Brandon Saller since his move from drummer to vocalist, bearing the fruits of that most exciting but apprehensive of propositions: the new chapter. In and of itself, Baptize is often solid, with tunes that are punchy and catchy, though encased in too much gloss. Given the presence of producer John Feldmann, who worked on its 2018 predecessor In Our Wake, none of this should come as a surprise. The problem is that in the stronger parts of Atreyu’s catalogue, this doesn’t hold up, but Baptize is further hamstrung by going against the hallmarks that made Atr...
