Underoath with A Day To Remember, The Word Alive and Close Your Eyes
11/8/10 at Northern Lights, Clifton Park, NY


I honestly never expected to wake up the day of the show and be met with snow. In fact, it snowed all day, but relentless of that, I braved my way to see Underoath and Close Your Eyes at a big local venue in my area, named Northern Lights. I've missed a lot of shows at the venue before, and this was my first time there.

As I walked to the door, unfortunately a few minutes late, I heard Victory Records' Close Your Eyes playing the end of "The Body," off their debut album We Will Overcome that released earlier this year. I must say, I was very excited to see them, as they are one of the best up and coming hardcore/pop punk bands out there today. I then entered the venue, which was indeed packed with many more than I expected, but then again, the show was sold out. Close Your Eyes then moved into "Something Needs To Change," one of my favorites off their album, which sounded great live. They closed out their set with "Song for the Broken," the first single off of their album, which really had some kids moving.

After Close Your Eyes, I went to check out the merch tables from the bands, and picked up the deluxe edition of Underoath's new record Ø (Disambiguation) a day early, which was certainly a good buy.

Shortly after, metalcore act The Word Alive started, who played a pretty typical form of the genre, with heavy riffs, breakdowns, and electronic synth parts heavily placed throughout their set. They played a few songs off their new album Deceiver, but it wasn't really my thing. I do know that they had interesting stage presence, and a good crowd response, but their set made me even more anticipated for the following act, Underoath.

A 20 minute break in between sets, Underoath finally came out, with a very bright backdrop behind them of pulsating lights to go along with their high energy set. They opened with "Illuminator" off of Ø (Disambiguation), which was set to release the next day. I was very impressed with Spencer's clean vocals, proving that he can really pull them off live, along with his brutal screams. After then introducing myself, they ripped into "In Regards To Myself," and another heavy song that I unfortunately didn't recognize. Spencer then talked about their new album, and said the next song just had a video released for it, which was "In Division." I'd have to say that I was very impressed with Chris Dudley's programming and synths on the song, which were done very well, adding a haunting layer to the song, as they emanated through the whole song, especially the intro. The stage then went dark, and I noticed that "The Blue Note" from They're Only Chasing Safety was being played, of course leading into fan favorite "It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door," performed amazing live, and met with a huge crowd reaction. Slowing down their set was the atmospheric "Paper Lung," which Spencer was really getting into on stage, despite being a bit slower, building up for a crushing breakdown. "Desperate Times, Desperate Measures" followed, with clean vocals done surprisingly well by Spencer and guitarist Tim McTague. Their set started to draw to a close with one last new song, "A Divine Eradication," followed by Chamberlain talking about their beliefs in Jesus Christ, refreshing to hear in front of a crowd mainly there for the headliners, A Day To Remember. "Writing On The Walls" closed out Underoath's very high energy and somewhat chaotic set.

I left after Underoath, due partially to the weather. I must say though, I was very impressed by their Underoath's live show, as well as Close Your Eyes', and would recommend that if this tour comes close, you should go see it.

Artist: Underoath
Album: Ø (Disambiguation)
Release Date: 11/9/10
Label: Tooth & Nail/Solid State Records

Change can be a big word, especially regarding music. That being said, the anticipated new album from Underoath, Ø (Disambiguation), is not a complete change for the band's sound. However, with the departure of long time drummer and clean vocalist Aaron Gillespie, Underoath are certainly not the same band you once knew. With the addition of former Norma Jean drummer Daniel Davison, it is not a coincidence that the band now contain elements reminiscent to Norma Jean, while still keeping some of their overall sound, minus Gillespie's vocals, which have in turn have been manned by frontman Spencer Chamberlain, which have matured greatly since They're Only Chasing Safety, and have a very natural and smooth feel to them.

The driving opener "In Division" kicks off Ø (Disambiguation) on a high note, a driving track that is sure to get fans acquainted with what Underoath have to offer with the album. "Catch Myself Catching Myself" resonates with more of a chaotic sense, ringing with the standout line of "I'm not the same anymore." The dark and atmospheric "Paper Lung" represents a bit of a new direction for the band, filled mainly with Chamberlain's clean vocals, and a head on breakdown to conclude the track. The album then kicks back into full gear with the bass heavy, raw-sounding "Illuminator," a track that really boasts Davison's expertise drumming.

The ambient "Driftwood" is heavily layered with great programming and eerie synths from keyboardist Chris Dudley, followed by the explosive "A Divine Eradication," one of the album's heaviest tracks. The anthematic "Who Will Guard The Guardians" contains a great spoken part from Spencer about halfway through, and also some of his best clean vocals on Ø (Disambiguation). A brief interlude is taken with "Reversal", that gives you little time to catch your breath before leading into the fast paced "Vacant Mouth," containing rapid fire guitars that will have you wanting to move. "My Deteriorating Decline" serves as an assault on your ears, with punk like drumming, and yet another one of Underoath's heaviest tracks to date. The album slows down one last time for the concluding track, "In Completion." Lyrically, it continues a common theme of water and drowning that goes on throughout the album, and like "Paper Lung," sets an atmosphere that is both melodic and heavy at the same time, no doubt a fitting song to close out one of the year's best heavy releases.

Rating: 9/10 Their first album containing no original members, many may have expected Underoath not to come through with Ø (Disambiguation), but they certainly have come through, better than ever. Dark, heavy and melodic are just a few words to explain their album, filled with great drumming, driving riffs and frontman Spencer Chamberlain's deep, throaty screams to his smooth clean vocals, which contrast just right. Ø (Disambiguation) sits as one of the year's best releases in the heavy scene, and will certainly catch the attention of many who have doubted the band's ability in the past to make such an album of this caliber.

Tracklisting:

1. In Division
2. Catch Myself Catching Myself
3. Paper Lung
4. Illuminator
5. Driftwood
6. A Divine Eradication
7. Who Will Guard The Guardians
8. Reversal
9. Vacant Mouth
10. My Deteriorating Incline
11. In Completion

(Buy Here)

With the highly anticipated release of Underoath's new album, Ø (Disambiguation), releasing on November 9th, we talked with keyboardist Chris Dudley about the album and their upcoming tour.

Christian Rock Rocks (Brooks Ginnan): Can you say your name and what you do in Underoath?
Chris Dudley (Underoath): I am Chris and I play keyboards.

CRR: Your new album will be releasing November 9th. Can you explain the process of how the making of the album went?
Chris: It was actually a lot different than any other record. All in all, the writing process was a lot shorter, but with Daniel coming in really opened up a lot of new creative doors for us, so even though we took less time, the time that we had was more productive than ever before. The recording process itself had a lot more experimentation than we have ever had as well. Lots of trying new ideas, scrapping older ones, etc. It was really exciting overall.

CRR: What was the process like of having all the clean vocals done by Spencer on the album?
Chris: Honestly, it was awesome. It was really exciting going into the room after he was done with a song and knowing it was going to be something completely new that we had never done before was great. He freaking killed it on this record, and if I wasn't in the band I'd say that as well... haha.

CRR: How did the songwriting on the album go without Aaron?
Chris: Like I said before, it was very open and experimental overall. For the first time in a long time, we had 6 guys who were on the same page as far as what we wanted to accomplish, and that was just invigorating.

CRR: What are some of the lyrical themes found throughout the album?
Chris: Well, Spencer does all the lyrics now, so all in all it's a lot more personal to him. There are themes of struggle, hope, and everything in between, really. I like the fact that this record is so personal for him because I think when you have an album that way it is very relatable to people.

CRR: How do you think Ø (Disambiguation) compares to your previous albums?
Chris: It's always hard to say because when you are involved with a project from its infancy, seeing it come to fruition, and listening back, you have somewhat of a biased view of what it sounds like. In my eyes it is a lot more cohesive, a lot more flowing, and just a more concise effort overall. I've had other people say things like "You sound like a real band now", "This is the best thing you guys have ever put to tape", and "I used to want to vomit when I thought about your band, but this record is amazing", which are all amazing things to hear... haha.

CRR: What is your personal favorite song on the album, and why?
Chris: Today, it's probably "A Divine Eradication". It changes day by day, but today that's the one. It's just a really heavy song and it makes me want to drive fast... that's the sign of a winner to me.

CRR: So in just a few weeks, you will be going out on tour with A Day To Remember, The Word Alive and Close Your Eyes. What can fans expect to hear from you on this tour?
Chris: We will be playing a wide variety of songs. Some older songs, a few songs off the new record and some stuff in between. We are just stoked to get out on the road on general. It's been way too long since we've been on tour.

CRR: Any other things you would like to say?
Chris: Thanks for doing this interview, and I hope you dig the record!