I got in a discussion this weekend about how great the band UnderOath is and how really nobody comes close to matching their aggression or sound in this genre of wannabe heavy bands. It really is no surprise they have surpassed many of the similiar bands they started with considering they are the only ones who have pushed the genre’s limits when everybody else played it safe. They took basic Post Hardcore (Emo) style they were using which was scream/power chord riffs/whiney chorus/power chord riffs and threw it out the door. They took that raw energy of their singer Spencer Chamberlain and unleashed it with grinding guitar riffs, proggy bass lines, and the drumming and harmonic vocals of Aaron Gillespie and turned it into the monstrocity of their album Define The Great Line.
Define is not only a landmark album for the band it’s also the breakthrough that sets the band apart from everybody else today. The album was produced by Adam D the guitar player for Killswitch Engage and long time friend of the band. The album just flat out rips from the start with the song “In Regards To Myself” which happens to be the first single and also set the tone for the intensity the band becomes known for. Song after song keeps coming with aggressive guitar playing and grinding basslines that have time changes that turned this screamo band into a Progressive Hardcore band. The album takes a break in the french spoken word instrumental of “Salmarnir” just for a minute until it kicks into the monster breakdown of “Returning Empty Handed” . The song is the midway point of the album and has about a minute and 30 second breakdown at the end that will have your testosterone boiling all until you reach the next track. “Casting Such A Thin Shadow” shows the maturity of the band and what they are trying to change in the sound by having a 4 minute jam out session till they finally rip into the last two minutes of the song. The album ends with the 7 minute plus epic track in “To Whom This May Concern” a song that ends the story of a traveler in search of something who only comes to the end of the road meeting a spirit who instructs him it’s not over yet. The song shows off the bands new sound and what they will sound like from now on as well as their separation from the screamo genre.
The follow up to this album is equally as intense and I feel I must write about it as well because they are two of my favorite heavy albums out right now. The follow up to Define is the long awaited Lost In The Sound of Seperation which is a continuation of what they accomplished with their previous album. The first song “Breathing In A New Mentality” doesn’t quite match the intensity as the previous album’s intro song but it makes up for it by kicking immediately into the next song entitled “Anyone Can Dig A Hole But It Takes A Real Man To Call It Home” which may be their fastest and heaviest song yet. The breakdowns in the song are borderline insane with obscure timings and heavy whammy’s on the strings that actually do more then the intense lyrics themselves. One of the cool down songs or songs more jam like are the midway track and final track but going with the midway first with “Emergency Broadcast: The End Is Near” it goes into an intense intro with a session of guitar work throughout the middle which drops into an aggressive ending which leads into the other heavy hitter in “The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed.” The album finishes off not as amazing as the previous did with “To Whom It May Concern” but it has a great creepy end of the world feel with the final track “Desolate Earth: The End Is Here.” The song is mostly instrumental till the final minute where the lead singer sings a verse into the ending of the song. Either way you slice it this album is missing a few pieces from being borderline as genius as Define The Great Line but it’s a great album non the less and I feel people who enjoy heavy music and creative musicianship then they should check out these two albums. Below is a video of one of my favorite live videos from this band so be sure to check it out.
I agree on the follow up on “Lost in the Sound of Seperation.” As you said it was not border line genius compared to Define the Great Line, i was still more than impressed. I was unsure about how this albulm would turn out, I did not think that UnderOath could match another albulm with the same level of intensity. As the intro of “Breathing in a New Mentality” rips through my headphones, the next track puts me in silence, “Anyone Can Dig a Hole but it Takes a Real Man to Call it Home.” The adrenaline rush throughout this is at an electric breakneck speed. The movements of Spencer Chamberlain and Aaron Gillespie are astonishing throughout the rest of this striking albulm.
just started getting into these guys….. better late then never