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Underoath

Underoath (stylized as Underøath or UnderOath) is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton in 1997 in Ocala, Florida; subsequently, its additional members were from Tampa,[2][3][4] including drummer, clean vocalist and last remaining core member Aaron Gillespie. The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, keyboardist Christopher Dudley, lead guitarist Timothy McTague, bassist Grant Brandell, and lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain. Originally, the band identified as a Christian group; they have since distanced themselves from Christianity.

Underoath

  • 1997–2013
  • 2015–present

The band's lineup shifted frequently during its early years. Taylor recorded Act of Depression, Cries of the Past, and The Changing of Times with the band and remained with the group until his departure in 2003; Chamberlain replaced him as lead vocalist, and the lineup has remained mostly stable since. The band then released They're Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line, and both earned gold certifications by the RIAA. These two albums remain their most commercially successful releases, and provided them with mainstream status; the latter of the two holds their highest Billboard 200 entry, peaking at no. 2. Following their sixth studio album, Lost in the Sound of Separation, which also reached a top-ten peak on the Billboard 200, Gillespie left the group[5] and was replaced by former Norma Jean drummer Daniel Davison. Their seventh album, Ø (Disambiguation), was released in 2010; Chamberlain and McTague provided more prominent clean vocals in Gillespie's absence. On October 2, 2012, Underoath announced that they would be disbanding in 2013; they played their final show that January.[6]


On August 17, 2015, the band announced they had reunited; in doing so, Gillespie returned to the lineup. After performing at A Day to Remember's Self Help Fest in 2016, Underoath announced their eighth studio album, Erase Me, would be released 2018. It was their first album in 8 years and their first in 10 years with Gillespie; the band also publicly abandoned their Christian musical approach starting with this record. The follow-up, Voyeurist, was released in January 2022.

History

Formation and Act of Depression (1997–2000)

On November 30, 1997,[7] Underoath formed with Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton in Ocala, Florida.[8] Morton devised the name Underoath "from somewhere in the Bible."[2] Drummer Aaron Gillespie, who attended Morton's church, was then asked to play with them. Gillespie agreed, and the group recruited guitarist Corey Steger and bassist Octavio Fernandez; the band members were all in high school.[9]


After a year of playing at festivals and touring the area around Florida, Underoath signed to Alabama's Takehold Records in 1999. Around this time Luke Morton had left the band without appearing on any of their formal recordings. They released their debut Act of Depression that July, and it sold over 2,000 copies.[10]

Cries of the Past and The Changing of Times (2000–2003)

In 2000, keyboardist Christopher Dudley joined Underoath, and the five-song, forty-minute long record, Cries of the Past was released, quickly selling 3,000 copies.[10] In 2001, Corey Steger left the band; he died in a car accident on March 17, 2021.[11] Takehold Records was bought out by Seattle's Tooth & Nail Records and Underoath was subsequently signed to the label's subsidiary, Solid State Records. In January 2002, bassist Grant Brandell joined Underoath.[12] The band then began working on their Solid State debut, The Changing of Times, with Cries of the Past producer James Paul Wisner. The album was released on February 26, 2002, and produced one single: "When the Sun Sleeps". Dallas Taylor explained that the lyrics on The Changing of Times were about "people playing with other people's emotions and how it can leave you bitter" and "struggling through life's hardships and trying to find God in all of it."[13]


In 2003, Underoath supported the album's release with their first inclusion on Warped Tour, however their participation in the tour came to an end when Taylor (under controversial conditions) was asked to leave the band. Dudley explained at that time that Taylor could no longer tour with Underoath for various reasons and left on his own decision.[10] Under speculation of a potential breakup, the band then went on a supporting tour with Atreyu in August 2003 with Matt Tarpey as the temporary lead vocalist, while at the time being a part of Winter Solstice.[14] In October 2003, at the CMJ Fest in New York City, the band reappeared with Spencer Chamberlain, formerly of the band This Runs Through, as the new lead vocalist.[15] Chamberlain had toured with Underoath when fronting his former band and at one time was roommates with Dudley; their previous friendship with Chamberlain was considered when making him lead vocalist.[9] Gillespie explained that before Chamberlain had been in the band, the group members "didn't really get along", however, after Chamberlain joined "everything was just normal, we clicked".[9] After Chamberlain became a permanent member, Underoath discussed the possibility of changing the name and becoming a new band. Ultimately, the members decided to remain as Underoath.[9]

Musical style and influences

Christianity

Underoath's members identified as Christian in their earlier years and stated during that time period that they were a Christian band.[76][77] However, as vocalist Spencer Chamberlain explained in 2006, "[We are Christian but] in a different way. We're not like your average Christian band."[9] He explains that Christianity is the "backbone of our lives, especially in the way that we handle certain things, but it's not so much the backbone of our lyrics. It's not like every song is a lesson from the Bible or something. It's just normal life struggles."[9] Keyboardist Christopher Dudley stated that a majority of Underoath's audience is not Christian, nor are the bands with whom they would often tour.[21] Though the band has been noted for "setting precedent in both Christian rock and beyond", only a portion of their albums are sold in the Christian marketplace.[78] Chamberlain said, "I look at us as just another band in the secular market like with all these other hardcore bands and we just happen to be a Christian band that has different beliefs."[79] However, in an interview with Alternative Press, Drummer Aaron Gillespie stated that "I'm definitely a Christian, but I don't think Underoath should be a 'Christian band'"[62] The band has since openly distanced themselves from Christianity and organized religion.[80][81]


Upon releasing their comeback single, "On My Teeth", from Erase Me, the band's first song to feature profanity in their entire career, the band updated their Spotify profile to read "The band who once openly—and without apology—professed their faith-based worldview onstage nightly, have since moved beyond the realm of seemingly impenetrable polemics. At various junctures, Erase Me illustrates those moments of sanctuary, anxiety, betrayal, and conflict that inevitably arise when humanity grapples with belief systems."[63][82] In a 2018 interview, Spencer Chamberlain stated that, "my journey and my role in playing in a Christian band, I held a huge burden and I got burnt badly and was treated awfully. I'm not saying religion is wrong for everyone, but for me it was wrong. It ruined my life, turned me into a drug addict and people were awful to me the whole time. I never felt more alone in my life than when I was Christian."[83]

Genre

Underoath have been labeled as metalcore, hardcore punk, post-hardcore, emo, screamo, and Christian metal.[84] The band's style has changed over the years, as explained by AllMusic: "since their inception, Florida's Underoath have evolved from a run-of-the-mill Christian metalcore band into a fluid, dynamic, and energized rock group that adeptly blends emotive melody, charged punk rock rhythms, and a chunky, engaging bottom end."[10] Jesus Freak Hideout also took notice of this, mentioning in a review that "Underoath's sound has evolved a lot — from metal to emocore to straight-up hardcore."[85]


As demonstrated on their first release, Act of Depression, Underoath initially played a combination of hardcore and metalcore mixed with black metal and death metal.[86][87][88] The band kept a similar sound on their second album, Cries of the Past, featuring occasional traces of black metal,[86][87][89] but the band later moved away from this style to embrace a more melodic-leaning post-hardcore sound.[90][88] On the follow up release, Underoath stood "at the heavy metal crossroads on The Changing of Times, a hardcore album that parallels classic arena rock."[91] The band experimented with electronic elements, with Casey Boland of Alternative Press noting that the album "was an Olympic pole vault-like leap forward for Underoath," and that the band was "welcoming the process of evolution."[92] He also noted the addition of Aaron Gillespie's clean singing, which offered "a compelling counterpoint and presaged a swarm of bands adopting the sing-scream dichotomy that would become the hallmark of 'screamo.'"[92] Cross Rhythms noted the growing popularity of the band, and described them as playing "an interesting mix of hardcore and indie rock, utilising loops, keyboards, acoustic guitars and melodic vocal harmonies, amongst the onslaught of heavy guitars and screeching hardcore vocals."[93]


Underoath underwent an extreme overhaul preceding their fourth release, They're Only Chasing Safety, with Dallas Taylor and Octavio Fernandez leaving the band and Spencer Chamberlain taking over lead vocal duties. This marked a radical shift for Underoath, "as the band ditched its formerly metal leanings for the decidedly friendly confines of screamo,"[94] a change with ignited a debate over which was better, "old" or "new" Underoath.[94] A review by Alex Henderson of AllMusic classifies the album under an alternative rock style which could be described as screamo, post-hardcore, or melodic hardcore, and which differed from full-out metalcore.[10] In another review, Andrew Segal of Cross Rhythms described the album as nu metal, and said that, while on the heavier side of the rock scale, the album is well produced and "shows more signs of intelligence than the [nu-metal] genre is often credited with."[95]


For their fifth album, Define the Great Line, Underoath abandoned the pop choruses of the previous album and instead demonstrated a heavier and more eclectic style,[90] updating their sound with "weird" time changes and ambient post-metal passages.[96] According to Sputnikmusic, while the album is basically a modern metalcore recording, it incorporated other influences including post-metal guitar leads on several tracks and ambient electronica on tracks such as "Salmarnir".[90] AllMusic stated that the band found the "delicate middle ground between throat-shredding grindcore and My Chemical Romance/From Autumn to Ashes-style emo-punk,"[97] and Cross Rhythms described the album as "an impressively versatile project where metal riffs and emo breakdowns, screamo noise and memorable hooks collide in a veritable sonic feast."[98]


Underoath's sixth album, Lost in the Sound of Separation, established Spencer Chamberlain as the band's frontman[99] and saw the band incorporating some industrial elements.[85] With the departure of the last original member of Underoath, Aaron Gillespie, the band underwent their "biggest shift in sound for the band in a long time."[100] Ø (Disambiguation) featured a darker and more immersive approach than their previous albums, and used a heavy atmospheric and ambient sound and also utilized groove sections on some tracks.[100][101][102] Erase Me, the band's comeback album, saw more of an emphasis on alternative rock.[103]

Influences

Underoath's stated influences have included Refused, At the Drive-In, Jimmy Eat World, Radiohead and Isis,[3] with guitarist Timothy McTague describing At the Drive-In in particular as "probably one of the biggest influences" on the band.[104] With the departure of Dallas Taylor following The Changing of Times, an album that foreshadowed the changes to come for the band, the group's style took a new direction courtesy of new vocalist Spencer Chamberlain. Beginning with They're Only Chasing Safety, the writing dynamic changed in the band, as Chamberlain and drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie now wrote all the lyrics they sang.[9] On Define the Great Line, Chamberlain noted that his vocals now sounded less like an imitation of Taylor and more like the vocals of his previous band, This Runs Through. Alternative Press wrote of the album, "[Chamberlain's] bellow [is] more carnal and guttural, [and] his high end more tuneful than whiny."[30]

Underoath live at 2019

Rock am Ring

Spencer Chamberlain

Spencer Chamberlain

Timothy McTague

Timothy McTague

Grant Brandell and James Smith

Grant Brandell and James Smith

Aaron Gillespie

Aaron Gillespie

Christopher Dudley

Christopher Dudley

Current members

(1999)

Act of Depression

(2000)

Cries of the Past

(2002)

The Changing of Times

(2004)

They're Only Chasing Safety

(2006)

Define the Great Line

(2008)

Lost in the Sound of Separation

(2010)

Ø (Disambiguation)

(2018)

Erase Me

(2022)

Voyeurist

Studio albums

Edit this at Wikidata

Official website

at AllMusic

Underoath