We knew Atreyu frontman Alex Varkatzas wasn’t going to pick anything by Avenged Sevenfold for his Bang of the Week, but we didn’t really expect him to go with Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy is a cornerstone of metal — a figure who helped lay the foundation for the genre to flourish, and Atreyu have always been about avoiding the traditional conventions of metal. Outside of the ’80s hair metal guitar, their sound seems mostly inspired by thrash, punk and alternative rock.
It’s not the first time we’ve been surprised by an artist’s choice and it certainly won’t be the last. Here’s Varkatzas explaining the rhyme behind his treason — err, reason:
“We’ve done Ozzfest with Sabbath and Ozzy, and both times were amazing,” he says of his vote for Ozzy’s “I Don’t Wanna Stop” video. “It’s great to hear the Prince of darkness come up with some catchy new riffs and songs. I think we should petition to get his moniker changed to The King of Darkness (I know the title is taken, but who would win in fight). Seriously though, he has been at the top for a long time for a reason. All hail The King.”
