Today’s band is probably not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but after reading news about their reunion and hearing their guitarist on the Break It Down podcast, I figured there wouldn’t be a better time than now to share about them.
I first got into them when I was in college and was introduced to them by a friend of mine. At that point in time, I was already hooked into “screamo” bands of that era – Thursday, The Used, Thrice and so on – so adding another band into my playlist wasn’t a big deal. Brutal screams, catchy hooks and melodies, and intense drumming – are some of their defining characteristics. One thing that stood out to me was the way the clean vocalist sounded and I was also impressed that he was the drummer for the band.
Reinventing Your Exit
They were initially branded as a Christian band and slowly deviated from it, but the brand of music they put out is far from what you would consider religious music. Not that it bothered me at all, but I remember surprising people with that bit of trivia when I was introducing the band to people (I was quite devout back then kek).
What makes Underoath great? Their ability to evolve their music while retaining the signature sound of the band – keeping both fans of their old and new stuff happy. When I first got into them, they were in their poppiest phase and as they wrote and recorded more stuff, they got heavier and heavier. Spencer’s (lead vocalist) screams were one of the best in the genre and they contrasted really well against Aaron’s (backing vocals/drums) somewhat calm, yet ocasionally desperate voice.
According to the interview Tim (guitarist) did on the Break It Down podcast, he set out to write They’re Only Chasing Safety in the style of 50% Jimmy Eat World and 50% Glassjaw – something I had not conciously noticed before. However, when he pointed it out, it made so much sense. It also made sense to mainstream listeners since that album pushed the band into the spotlight.
Moving For The Sake Of Motion
Anyway, I know most of you probably won’t care about the band’s history, and there are plenty of resources online to find out more. As to why I love this band – they got everything right in the scene. I don’t dig much of their stuff pre-Changing of Times, but every album since then I’ve considered a masterpiece. Not something that I feel many bands accomplish.
Alone In December
These guys also came to KL a few years ago and put on easily one of the best, if not the best, live shows I had ever been to. The whole band was on point, they were tight, and they gave a performance to remember. I even recorded a video from that night (ignore the shitty quality and my terrible singing):
A Boy Brushed Red…. Living In Black And White
Watching one of my favorite songs being played live, and singing/screaming along with the whole crowd – holy shit, what an amazing feeling. Everybody knew the words and nobody was too shy or ashamed to scream the words. It was INSANE. Can’t really put into words what it was like to be there, but I’m pretty damn sure if you asked anyone who was there they would tell you something similar.
Anyway, enough gushing about this band, I shall leave you with some of my favorite tracks from them:
In Regards to Myself
Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear
Down, Set, Go!
It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
In Division
A Boy Brushed Red… Living In Black And White