Brandon Saller speaks out on fan pressure to bring back Alex Varkatzas in Atreyu

In 2020, Atreyu‘s breakup with frontman Alex Varkatzas nearly caused a rift within the group’s fan base, as per theprp. With drummer Brandon Saller continuing to play clean vocals as the band’s new vocalist and bassist Marc “Porter” McKnight taking over Varkatzas’ dirty vocal parts, Atreyu persevered. There hasn’t been much communication between the two sides since Varkatzas formed Dead Icarus. Even though Saller and McKnight have since released two Atreyu albums, and a third, “The End Is Not The End,” is scheduled for release on April 24th, there is still considerable division among the band’s fan base.

In a recent interview with Chris Garza, the guitarist for Suicide Silence, on “The Garza Podcast,” Saller discussed the persistent calls for Atreyu and Varkatzas to get back together as well as the mockery he still receives from some for taking on the role of band leader. He responded as follows when asked how comfortable he was playing the lead in Atreyu for the first time.

I wanted to have it so that people wouldn’t have a reason to f*cking talk sh*t. I wanted to present myself on stage and my voice in a way that people would be, like, ‘Oh, I can’t say anything.’ That doesn’t exist. Especially on the Internet, people are just f*cking assholes. But it was the kind of thing where in my head it was, like, ‘I just need to make sure that I’m going out there and doing something that I don’t think people can talk sh*t on.’

Whether you like me or you like him better or whatever, it’s, like, you could at least respect what I’m doing. And then even from there, it’s gone on where, like, now I’m screaming a lot more in the band too.

With Porter in the band, it’s, like, f*ck, he has an insane voice. It was, like, we don’t need it, but mentally, it was, like, ‘Well, I wanna show people I can do this too.’ So it was a lot of that. But I wouldn’t say I worried about it, ’cause I was confident in my abilities, but it was definitely in my head where it was, like, ‘I have to be f*cking great — or else people are gonna talk sh*t.’

They’re gonna talk sh*t anyways. I mean, Alex hasn’t been in our band for, like, f*cking — what? — six years? It’s a long f*cking time. And still it’s, like, ‘Bring Alex back?’ It’s, like, bro… It’d be, like, one of your friends being, like, ‘Man, I love your ex-wife more.’ It’s, like, ‘Dude, we’ve been divorced for six years. Move on.’ But there’s always gonna be those 150 people that still will do that till the end of time.

Saller responded to the criticism that some people still have over the lineup change by pointing out the band’s recent achievements.

A lot of times it’s funny ’cause people will say sh*t on the Internet as if it’s fact. We’ve gotten that a lot. It’s, like, ‘The f*cking band died with Alex.’ And we’re, like, ‘Well we’re on tour with Iron Maiden. So it obviously did not.’ It’s, like, our band died with Alex. Well, we just had the number one most added song at radio this week. Quite obviously not. But then it’s again, you’re just kind of one f*ckhead that wants to do that on the Internet. It’s, like, no one is f*cking listening. No one f*cking cares.

My favorite thing to do is when they… I’m very aware that I’m not your average lead singer type. I’m a big motherf*cker that, I’m not f*cking little skinny boy in cutesy f*cking jeans My favorite, though — I don’t ever respond to whatever, but whenever someone’s, like, ‘You f*cking fatass’ or whatever, I’ll respond with, ‘That’s your move? I will quote comment, like, ‘That’s what you’re doing. That’s what you’re attacking? Okay. I’m gonna tell your mom. She’s gonna be very disappointed.’

Saller responded as follows when asked if the band and Varkatzas are still in contact.

No. I think it’s just better that way. I have had the imagination going wild, where it’s, like, I run into him at a show, or I see him at the grocery store or something, like, what would happen? Someday I would love to have a conversation with that dude and talk about history and talk about everything that happened and whatever. And I’m not saying we need to be friends or whatever, but, yeah, of course, I don’t want negative thoughts with anyone in my life. It’s not a healthy thing to live with. Which we don’t.

I feel like I’ve always been very vocal about everything he’s done too. I fucking bought a Dead Icarus shirt from his webstore and I wear it. It was, like, cool. You’re doing that. It’s making you happy. Make the sh*t you wanna make and live. I think it’s important for everyone to be happy in life.

And I think that the truth of the matter is I think that both parties are much more happy in the current situation than we were before. So I wish nothing but the best for the dude. We all do.

Upcoming shows:

• Wednesday, April 15, 2026 – Milwaukee, WI, USA – The Rave / Eagles Club
• Friday, April 17, 2026 – Des Moines, IA, USA – Wooly’s
• Saturday, April 18, 2026 – St. Louis, MO, USA – Delmar Hall
• Monday, April 20, 2026 – Indianapolis, IN, USA – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
• Tuesday, April 21, 2026 – Lexington, KY, USA – Manchester Music Hall
• Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Birmingham, AL, USA – Iron City Bham
• Friday, April 24, 2026 – Mobile, AL, USA – Soul Kitchen Music Hall
• Saturday, April 25, 2026 – Destin, FL, USA – Club LA
• Monday, April 27, 2026 – Corpus Christi, TX, USA – House of Rock
• Tuesday, April 28, 2026 – Dallas, TX, USA – House of Blues Dallas
• Wednesday, April 29, 2026 – Oklahoma City, OK, USA – Diamond Ballroom
• Friday, May 1, 2026 – Denver, CO, USA – Summit
• Saturday, May 2, 2026 – Albuquerque, NM, USA – Sunshine Theater
• Monday, May 4, 2026 – New Century, KS, USA – The Cotillion
• Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – Springfield, MO, USA – The Regency Live
• Thursday, May 7, 2026 – Daytona Beach, FL, USA – Welcome to Rockville 2026
• Friday, May 8, 2026 – Greensboro, NC, USA – Hangar 1819
• Saturday, May 9, 2026 – North Litchfield Beach, SC, USA – House of Blues Myrtle Beach
• Monday, May 11, 2026 – Norfolk, VA, USA – The NorVa
• Tuesday, May 12, 2026 – Harrisburg, PA, USA – XL Live
• Thursday, May 14, 2026 – McKees Rocks, PA, USA – Roxian Theatre
• Friday, May 15, 2026 – Columbus, OH, USA – Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival 2026
• Saturday, May 16, 2026 – Lansdowne–Baltimore Highlands, MD, USA – Nevermore Hall
• Sunday, May 17, 2026 – Asbury Park, NJ, USA – House of Independents
• Tuesday, May 19, 2026 – Charlotte, NC, USA – The Fillmore
• Wednesday, May 20, 2026 – Knoxville, TN, USA – The Mill & Mine
• Sunday, September 20, 2026 – Louisville, KY, USA – Louder Than Life 2026
• Friday, October 2, 2026 – Sacramento, CA, USA – Aftershock 2026