Long-running melodic metalcore institution Atreyu's eighth studio effort marks the amicable departure of vocalist Alex Varkatzas and the debut of frontman/clean singer Brandon Saller, who previously sat behind the kit. Producer John Feldmann, who helmed 2018's like-minded In Our Wake, makes certain that the transition feels relatively seamless, allowing ample room for the band to flex their arena-rock muscles. If the slickness of its predecessor was a turn-off for longtime fans, then Baptize is sure to disappoint, as it plays out like a sizzle reel for modern rock production. The playing is strong throughout, but Feldmann's fondness for boa constrictor-like compression renders the album as a whole strangely inert. That said, Saller is a far more robust and versatile vocalist than Varkatzas, and he embraces the group's more mainstream proclivities with a zeal that often helps to elevate tracks that would have otherwise been headed for a future B-sides and rarities compilation. After commencing with the stirring, a cappella "Strange Powers of Prophecy," Baptize hits hard early on with a trio of nosebleed section-aimed sonic missiles: the pummeling title cut and its equally unrelenting successors "Save Us" and "Underrated." Therein lies the rub. What follows is no better or worse, just largely the same, with Saller delivering post-hardcore banalities with gusto and the band peppering those surface-level maxims with blazing riffage and fist-pumping gang vocals, ad nauseam.