With influences spanning from 80s glam to Swedish death metal, we find out more about the 10 albums that shaped Jacobs as a guitarist…

“We all needed to feel like we could completely focus on the band and this is what it took,” says Atreyu guitarist Dan Jacobs of their four-year hiatus, which came to an end last summer as rumours began to spread of a sixth album on its way.

Official confirmation came soon after, bringing much welcome news for fans of the Orange County metalcore titans, especially when considering how many side-projects and distractions the members kept busy with as the years passed them by.

"This record feels like a fresh start: it’s about pushing our limits, mixing different styles and redefining our sound"

“I think a lot of the reasoning behind needing a break was down to us all having other things we wanted to accomplish in our own lives. So we all needed the hiatus to achieve our own goals and get it out of our systems. Almost evolve as individuals rather than as a band. It was like taking time out to get some air.

“After that, it was much easier for us to all come back together and focus fully on Atreyu. And here we are. This record feels like a fresh start: it’s about pushing our limits, mixing different styles and redefining our sound. It’s like we’ve found where we are musically most comfortable and now we’re just going for it!”

Released this September via Spinefarm, new offering Long Live promises more neck-snapping heaviness from the Californians, who rose to fame at the turn of the millennium as part of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal alongside fellow scene heroes Killswitch Engage and Trivium. And though it’s an album that marks a new era for the band, Jacobs is very much using the same weapons to keep old-school heavy metal values alive and well in 2015, defending the faith one lick at a time.

“I’ve been using the same ESP I got about 12 years ago, which I’ve played on pretty much every Atreyu recorded. Most of my guitar tone comes from that going into an EVH 5150 III. Those amps just sound so good and heavy, you just plug into it and everything sounds great straight off. All you have to do is turn the volume up and go!”