Oh, how the mighty have fallen

Orange County heavy-hitters Atreyu spent the beginning of their career helping to craft the blueprint of what would become one of the most simultaneously beloved and maligned genres in music's recent memory: metalcore.

The quintet's first three albums, "Suicide Notes & Butterfly Kisses," "The Curse" and "A Deathgrip on Yesterday" were chock full of the infectious choruses, brutal verses and meaty solos that were Atreyu's bread and butter for several years and produced fan favorites like "Right Side of the Bed" and "Ex's & Oh's". The band rose to prominence based on the strength of lead throat Alex Varkatzas' venomous lyrics and enraged scream and drummer Brandon Saller's stellar beat paired with the haunting clean vocals he provided for choruses.

When the band left Victory Records for major label Hollywood Records in 2007, they put out the generally fan-detested "Lead Sails and Paper Anchors," which led to a little more commercial success and an almost complete loss of their original fan base. "Lead Sails" was a smoothly produced, almost scream-less radio rock album devoid of any real passion or lyrical depth that left many fans wondering where the Atreyu of old had gone. Fans are still wondering who was the genius that told Alex Varkatzas he could sing. So when Atreyu announced they were going into the studio earlier this year, old fans that still remembered the band's name groaned at the prospect of another modern metal catastrophe. Varkatzas swore "A return to [their] roots" in numerous interviews, but unfortunately he and his band have produced another pile of thoughtless garbage."Congregation of the Damned" begins with the clunker "Stop! Before It's Too Late & We've Destroyed It All." The song itself is even more exhausting than its title, with its bland opening riffs and Marilyn Manson-esque low, breathy vocals. Despite a little synthesized bass and some gang vocals, the song falls completely flat. This is no way to kick off a comeback record. The band chugs through a few more filler tracks, including the painfully awful Goth dirge "Coffin Nails," before making their way to the album's only ray of light, lead single "Storm to Pass." This song does have a cool chorus and some decent screaming, and serves as a nice reminder of the Atreyu of old. The album hits a real low point with "Wait For You," a cheesy ballad-by-numbers that will definitely not be starting mosh pits anytime soon. There are a few overall improvements from "Lead Sails."

Varkatzas does lend a little more screaming to "Congregation," which serves the music much better than the auto-tuned whining he has favored as of late. Guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel are still two of the best in the game. Those guys really turned in some decent solos this time around. Unfortunately, Atreyu seems to have completely forgotten their roots. Varkatzas cannot carry a tune for his life, and still insists on testing out his pipes track after track with disastrous results. This is a band that is at their best when they go full steam ahead, drop all the bells and whistles and leave record sale expectations at the door. Unfortunately, they seem to be content with having lunkhead rockers like Breaking Benjamin as their contemporaries instead of forging their own path, as they did all those years ago.

"Congregation of the Damned," is available at Bullmoose Music stores for $9.97.