[2] For Congregation of the Damned, Atreyu expressed an interest in returning to their "heavy hardcore" roots, following 2007's Lead Sails Paper Anchor, while also wanting to "move forward.

"[6] On the matter of lyrics, Brandon Saller, claimed that "a lot of them are in a similar vein" to the band's 2004 album The Curse, but without the "vampire stuff.

[8]The band started a co-headlining tour with Hollywood Undead and Escape the Fate in October 2009, and as promotion of album have debuted songs like "Bleeding Is a Luxury" at K-Rockathon 14 in New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse, NY., and "Gallows".

"Gallows" was later released on October 20 in a promotional game entitled Metal Head Zombies, which is a first-person shooter loosely based on Call of Duty.

[10][11] Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel also appeared in Issue 5 of the Eternal Descent comic book series, which featured a narrative inspired by the song "Black Days Begin" from Congregation of the Damned.

Atreyu began their The Congregation of the Damned Tour with Blessthefall, Chiodos, Architects, and Endless Hallway on October 20 in Anaheim, CA.