Underoath consists of:
Spencer Chamberlain – Screams,growls,yells, and clean vocals.
Aaron Gillespie – Crashes,beats, and additional vocals.
Timothy McTague – Guitar
James Smith - Guitar
Grant Brandell - Bass
Christopher Dudley – Keyboards
Underoath album is produced by: EMI
The reason I bought this album was because I wanted to try something new for me, but not something dramaticly different. I knew Underoath was a good choice, because IMO, Post-Hardcore is a lighter version of Metalcore. So I bought the album, thinking a little variety doesn’t hurt. I can’t really say how glad I was that I bought this album, as Underoath is an exellent band. Underoath has changed a lot since there previous albums, definatly coming a long way in a good way; getting a fair amount heavier. The vocals have improved dramaticly, because now the vocalist seems to have a lot more range. The guitar work has also seemed to get more technical, as stated by many previous Underoath fans. Lyrics seem to have improved aswell I may note. Underoath is probably the best band that I know in the Post-Hardcore scene, but then again, it’s not hard to be when you have bands like Alexisonfire for competition. Still, Underoath is an outstanding band for the genre. Anothing thing I would like to say about Underoath is that (unlike quite a deal of bands) they actually write about something. I am actually glad to figure out that this is a Christian Post-Hardcore band, having the comfort of knowing they aren’t writings about things that never happened, or that they can’t relate to.
1. In Regards to Myself – Quite a good opener, and the guitar kind of gives you a feel of what the rest of the album is going to be like. Right away, the lead singer tells you the vocals have changed by after a couple screams, he does some lower ones. This really gives you a feel for how heavy the band can be. Excellent verse, and a pretty good chorus. The guitar work is quite technical in this song compared to others, and overall, it’s a great song. 7.9/10 [Highlight: A new feel for Underoath]
2. A Moment Suspended In Time – A good follow up to the first track, with again the new Underoath vocals. The guitars aren’t all that technical for most of the song (There is some interesting parts where the guitar do play some good riffs). The drums are exeptional to hear, not because they are amazingly played all the time, but just all around exellent beats. This song is pretty cathy you might say. 7.7/10 [Highlight: Hard to say]
3. There Could Be Nothing After This – One of the best songs on the album IMO, lots because of the vocals. I love the range in the vocals in this song, just because it makes the song quite a deal heavier, and just sounds great. You just have to love the chorus, as it is quite catchy. The guitars aren’t amazingly technical, but I must say that they are that of some of my favorite on the album, because they sound good. This song definatly makes you hope that the other songs don’t leave you dissapointed after hearing this song. 9/10 [Highlight: Pretty much everything]
4. Your Ever So Inviting – This is another good song from Underoath, yet again, good drums, nice vocals, fine Guitars, and a good chorus a verse. Not the best song on the album, but in all fairness, it’s a good song. The clean vocals stand out in this song. One of the downsides to this song is the guitars because of the simplicity. If the guitars were to be a bit more creative and technical it would make the song quite a bit better. The vocals and drums make up for most of it though. Overall, good song. 7.6/10 [Highlight: Vocals and drums]
5. Salmarnir – Most of this song is just an semi-instrumental, with lots of effects playing throughout the song. Not much in this song, but one thing I have to admit is that it has quite a lot of emotion. Halfway through the song, a voice comes in, speaking in a foreign language. Seeing as Underoath is Christian, I’m betting my money that this is a prayer of some kind. (Or somewhere along those lines.) 6/10 [Highlight: Emotion]
6. Returning Empty Handed – Well I must say, this is arguably the best song on the album IMO. The vocals are that of some of the best on the album. The guitars are also some of the best, and probably my favorite on the album, because they have a much more Metalcore feeling to them. The drums are again, great. Also, the verse is outstanding. The chorus is fantastic. And I’m pretty sure theres something of an interlude that sounds quite good. The vocals have a lot more range than in “Your Ever So Inviting”. I can’t say there is anything I really dislike about the song. Even the quiter part makes it sound good. Good blending in the verse/chorus. 9/10 [Highlight:Guitars]
7. Casting Such a Thin Shadow – This is one of the longer songs on the CD, and starts off slow, and then switches to the heavier part of the song. Good bridge to the heavier part, I might add. There is not that much vocals in this song, but it doesn’t take away from the song. The vocals are great in this song for the amount of time they are in the song. Good track overall. 7.2/10 [Highlight:Hard to say]
8. Moving for the Sake of Motion – The drums stand out in this song a lot, and I personally would have put this song as the opening track, just because it seems to fit well with the opening, and it still has quite a good vocal range. Some of the best vocals actually. Great chorus, and an awsome verse. Gotta love the quote ‘Brace yourself’, which is one of the reasons it would have been a good opening song. Really, brace yourself for the best Underoath that you will hear. 9/10 [Highlight:Drums and Vocals]
9. Writings on the Walls – The introduction to this song makes you think that it is going to a softer song…yeah right, this is one of the heavier songs on the album, and possibly one of the lyrically best. The very few clean vocals that are on this track are quite excellent. The vocals in general on this track are impressive. Instrumentally this track is quite good, a catchy drum beat, and fine guitars. Good emotion in this song too. Overall, excellent song. 8.8/10 [Highlight: Hard to say]
10. Everyone Looks so Good from Here – This song starts off just all-out screaming, and for some reason, I really like this song. I really like the vocals because of the range, and also the guitars make the song sound great. Drums are good again. The chorus in this song is awsome (not to mention the verses). This is one of the shorter songs on the album though, kind of sadly. Well anyways, awsome song. 8.8/10 [Highlight:Guitars and vocals]
11. To Whome it May Concern – This is the longest song on the album, and one of the softer ones aswell. It starts off with clean vocals for quite a while. Eventually it picks up though. The vocals are,yet again, good. Instumentally pretty good. Not much to say about this song, other than that the lyrics are good. The guitars play some good harmonic notes as well which add to the song. Overall good song. 7.6/10 [Highlight: Vocals]
To wrap up, I’d like to say that Underoath is quite a good band. One of my personal favorites. Also, If you a metalhead, this is a good band to go with if you want a little bit of variety, because it doesn’t stretch too far from Metalcore. Anyways, excellent album..4/5.
Pros
-Good lyrics
-Best vocals Underoath has ever done.
-Versitile (Heavy and light)
-Drums
Cons
-Guitars can be very very basic
No other outstanding faults on this CD though.
Thanks for taking the time to read my review, its greatly apreciated.
-The Sun Sleeps
