ATREYU’s lead singer, Brandon Saller talks Vegemite, the 20th Anniversary of The Curse and how they have wised up over the years
Brandon Saller is currently bathed in a surreal sea of green lights. It almost looks as if he’s sitting beneath the Northern Lights themselves. When asked about his exact location, he offers a dry response: “Oh, I’m just on the couch.”
Speaking from his home just south of a “cold and rainy” Nashville, Saller and his family are very much in their “cozy” era. “We watched Love Actually two nights ago,” he says. “We bought one of those twenty-foot projectors, so we just sit outside, get snug, and watch movies. It’s a good vibe.”
It’s a far cry from the frantic, high-octane version of Saller we’re used to seeing, the one tearing up stages worldwide with ATREYU’s fierce brand of metalcore. Yet somehow, the contrast between his two worlds feels strangely fitting.
But Saller won’t be lounging in comfort for too long—he’s gearing up for a major year ahead. Along with ATREYU, the band will soon embark on a highly anticipated tour across Australia, co-headlined with Texan rockers Memphis May Fire.
“We’re not arriving soon enough!” laughs Saller when discussing the upcoming trek. “We’re good friends with Memphis May Fire, and we’ve been talking about doing international anniversary shows. Australia was always at the top of the list.”
Australia, he says, has become a second home of sorts for the band. “We love it. The shows are amazing, the food’s great. I try to eat as much Australian food as possible,” he admits. Saller’s tried all the iconic offerings—though it seems he’s found a few favourites along the way. “Golden Gaytime’s are my jam,” he confesses, “and Moreton Bay Bugs are next level.”
However, not everything about Australian cuisine has won him over. “Vegemite? Absolute trash,” Saller laughs. “But I’m coming at it from the American perspective, where we treat peanut butter like a holy grail.”
Australia also holds a special place in ATREYU’s history—it was there that Saller describes the band having their first “Michael Jackson moment.” “We had to run out to the van, people were banging on the windows. It was wild,” he recalls. “And every time we’ve been back since, it just keeps getting cooler.”
This upcoming tour will definitely be a bit “cooler” than the rest—especially considering the fact that ATREYU will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their iconic album The Curse.
When asked what he remembers from the making of the record, Saller chuckles and admits it’s a bit of a blur. “Honestly, it’s hard to remember much because there was no documentation. We didn’t have cell phones with cameras back then. I was also 19, just a kid starting out, so most of its locked in memory,” he says.
While the details might be fuzzy, the feeling remains clear. “We didn’t really know what we were doing,” Saller reflects. “But I knew we had something special.”
Though Saller and the band don’t often revisit their old music, they’ve been playing The Curse a little more frequently in preparation for the anniversary tour. “I hear the youthfulness of it all,” he admits. “We didn’t really have a clear approach—we were just doing whatever felt right. There were no rules.”
That raw, unfiltered energy is something Saller looks back on fondly. “The beauty of creating records has gotten harder,” he says. “Back then, we had nothing—no mortgages, no partners, no bills. We were barely adults. Now, you grow up and all those things shape you. Even in art.”
But Saller and the band are eager to tap into that youthful spirit again. “The hardest thing is to let yourself be playful. You have to reconnect with the purity of youth,” he says.
Despite the changes that come with time, Saller insists ATREYU’s creative approach hasn’t shifted drastically. “We’ve got 25 years of songwriting under our belt. Everything we’ve learned, we’ve applied, but our approach remains the same. We’ve just got more tools in our toolbox.”
With that new wisdom comes a shift in how ATREYU approaches the music business. “Our first record deal wasn’t great,” Saller admits with a sigh. “But you get older, and you learn. Now, we’re more focused on ownership. We’re the ones in control. We’re the adults now.”
ATREYU’s 20th Anniversary of the Curse Tour with Memphis May Fire is touring in July. Tickets can be accessed here.
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