Atreyu named themselves after a character from The Neverending Story — within its pages, he's the protagonist of the cryptic book that Bastian reads and is subsumed by. Atreyu themselves seem neverending.

For the past 30 years, the Californians have been one of metalcore's sturdiest workhorses. And that durability requires flexibility, mutability — especially when it comes to the shifting tides of the music industry.

That's why the rockers opted to release their new album, The Beautiful Dark of Life, initially as three EPs: 2023's The Hope of a Spark, The Moment You Find Your Flame and A Touch in the Dark. With three new songs — "Dancing With My Demons," "Insomnia" and the title track — The Beautiful Dark was complete.

"We wanted each EP to have its own space to exist, for every song to find its audience and connect with people in its own right," Atreyu bassist and vocalist Porter McKnight explained in the press release.

"But then when those songs are later collected together in the shape of an album, it will be an 'A-ha!' moment," McKnight added, "where we hope people will rediscover them in a new light, and find something in them all over again."

And as frontman Brandon Saller explains to GRAMMY.com, the album title came from his daughter, commenting on the nature of shadows. "The Beautiful Dark Of Life is the journey we are all on," he added in the same press release. "It is the journey we have taken the audience on through the three EPs: the highs, lows, and lessons of life.

"And much like living through them, you don't gain a full understanding of what it all means without the whole picture," he concluded. "This album is that picture."

Read on for an interview with Saller about the strategy behind The Beautiful Dark of Life, why the band is more open and vulnerable than ever, and the importance of unpredictability.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Can you talk about the decision to first release the album in the form of three EPs ? What meaning did the music take on via trisection?

The initial decision was made sort of from a consumption angle. You pour your soul into an album — and the reality is, about half of it sort of gets forgotten because most people can't focus that long into an album. 

We wanted to try something that might sort of give all the songs more of their day In the sun. Once the concept sort of showed its head, it made sense to have the listener go through the sort of seasons of life in real time with us on each release.

Because in reality, we don't usually just live these lows and highs once do we? It's an ever-growing journey that we live through. The cycle is represented over and over in the EPs.

You explore themes from anxiety and depression to personal identity at length in The Beautiful Dark of Life. Can you talk about how these themes popped up in past Atreyu music, and how they seem to come to fruition on this album?

Internally, our band is more open with each other than ever before. We're there for each other. I think the concept of discussing depression or any personal matter became a much more comfortable space within  the band. 

The product of that is something incredibly genuine to each of us, as we all sort of used this as our own way of dealing with ourselves.

It just feels almost youthful. A lot of the energy within our band feels like we're teenagers again. We're having so much fun but have so much to prove [laughs].

In the press release, Atreyu cites a need to reach out to your audience and offer "solace, empathy, escapism and empowerment." To you, what capacity does music have to really help, as countless global crises swirl around us?

I think music can be a complete escape. And in addition, I think it can be a catalyst for good. Art, in general, can and should be those things.

I think we just want our fans to fully understand that they can come to a show or immerse themselves in Atreyu in any way and know that it's a place for them to fully let loose and unload whatever they may be going through. That's what it is for us as well. 

What was the first song written and recorded for The Beautiful Dark of Life, and what was the last?

I believe the first song was "Dancing With My Demons" and the last was perhaps [the title track].

Which song has the most personal significance to you? Which moments — songs aside — are you most proud of?

"(i)" is incredibly personal for me. Perhaps the most honest I've been on a song. I also have a strong attachment to "The Beautiful Dark of Life" because my daughter came up with the concept.

What is The Beautiful Dark of Life a bridge to, as far as Atreyu is concerned? What can you do now, now that you've made this?

The funny thing is I doubt anyone will be able to peg our next move [laughs]. I feel like we've always been a band that's kept people guessing — and we like that. 

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