Underoath

On tour for their new album, Lost in the Sound of Separation, hardcore Florida rockers Underoath absolutely tore it up on November 1st at the Riviera Theater in Chicago, and my ears are still ringing. I’ll get to them in a minute. The Riv’s Saturday’s festivities began a little after 6pm with opening act Person L, out of Philadelphia, fronted by the ever-youthful and helplessly-spastic Kenny Vasoli, formerly of status quo punk group The Starting Line. Person L have a new record out, Initial, and their music is much, much more interesting than Vasoli’s earlier work. Noteworthy throughout Person L’s opening 5-song set, which highlighted songs like “Wooden Soldiers” and “Help Yourself,” were drummers Brian Medlin and Ryan Zimmaro, who doubled up the percussive drive. This made for a really powerful live sound—and doesn’t come through as strong on Initial, which is a definite minus for Person L. Following Vasoli & Co. was Ohio-based metalcore group The Devil Wears Prada (TDWP), out with their sophomore album Plagues. Without any prior knowledge of TDWP’s material, this set was a total waste for me—these guys are certainly metalcore through and through, and while I don’t doubt their talent, they might as well have been playing lawnmowers. The Riviera Theater did not in any way smile upon TDWP’s sound, which was among other things just a mess of kicking, screaming, flailing, and head banging in unison. It was during TDWP’s first song, which I couldn’t make out, that I popped in my earplugs, closed my eyes, and started dreaming of Kenny G. Wait, no. But you get the idea.

Third on the bill was Saosin (pronounced “say-oh-shin”), led by front man Cove Reber, who’s made a name for himself contributing his powerful vocals to hardcore metal groups like As I Lay Dying and Destroy The Runner. Not to be outdone, Saosin also had new material—albeit a five-song EP—to draw from. Crowd favorites “Voices,” “It’s Far Better To Learn,” “Come Close,” and “Collapse,” “You’re Not Alone,” and “Love Maker” kept the mosh pit moving, and at one point someone threw a glow stick right at Reber, who made a Madden-worthy one-handed catch and proceeded to throw it back into the crowd. And then the glow stick came back, and we had an unprecedented game of catch on our hands. Like most multi-band tours, the openers may have been talented, but were just means to an end. The fact that I had to wait over two hours before Underoath took the stage was regrettable. Especially when it was a lot of work to save my ears for the main event.

Self-admittedly (be sure to check out the bonus “making of” video that comes with Lost in the Sound of Separation on iTunes), Underoath’s crown achievement has to date been their epic 2006 release Define the Great Line, which solidified them not only as a serious force to be reckoned with, selling nearly 100,000 copies in the first week, but represented for the band the achievement of unprecedented self-actualization both lyrically and musically. It was with no small apprehension that Underoath wrote and recorded Lost in the Sound of Separation, having been so proud of Define and everything it stood for. Nonetheless, as Underoath—currently comprised of band members Aaron Gillespie (drums, singing vocals), Spencer Chamberlain (vocals/screams), Tim McTague (lead guitar, vocals), Chris Dudley (keyboards, synth), Grant Brandell (bass), and James Smith (rhythm guitar)—took to the heavily-shadowed stage, there was an undeniable energy and anticipation that anyone familiar with their music and journey would have felt. How do you follow a record like Define? What comes next?

One of the staples of Underoath’s live performances is the video screen, which has during past tours played all sorts of interesting footage. Saturday’s show was no different—as soon as the lights went out, a video screen came to life with grainy, urgent cuts. As deep bass riffs built into powerful bellowings, the assembled crowd watched as paranoid, fearful individuals ran through fields of tall grass, running from some kind of terrible unknown. The camera’s extremely choppy angles and transitions conveyed perfectly the mood Underoath was looking to set—paranoia, fear, intrigue, and curiosity. Soon, these people in the field were caught and dragged off toward some gruesome fate by eerily gas-masked bad guys. As the band took the stage in the shadows and the crowd began to scream, one of the “bad guys” stood in front of one of the “escapees” and slowly raised his open hand, revealing the words “I AM THE MESSENGER”. So it all began—and the 2+hour wait was well worth it. From the first note of “In Regards to Self,” it was clear that Underoath had a serious message to convey.

Now, I am not by nature a fan of hardcore or “screamo” music. The serious infusion of legitimate melody on They’re Only Chasing Safety is what opened the door for me, and I haven’t looked back. Sitting in the front row balcony as these hyped-up Floridians dominated the stage, I was stunned by the quality of the live sound, compelled to move with the music. It sounded better than anticipated—a much more professional mix, better equipment, better organization. Underoath moved through their set without hesitation, breaking drumsticks, blowing out microphones, and instigating some serious moshing and crowd surfing. Vocalist Spencer Chamberlain even asked if everyone was okay after almost every song.

One of the most compelling elements of the show was Underoath’s incredible stage presence and energy, which seemed to gather and feed off of the venue’s collective life force. It was a musical maelstrom—even one small measure of Aaron Gillespie’s drumming, Tim McTague’s shredding, or Chamberlain’s acrobatic screaming would be enough to stop a human heart. In my humble opinion, the display seemed an absolute necessity for the band—such great action is in Underoath’s case a result of great passion. Passion for their music, their vision, and their message.

Before the inevitable encore, Underoath had played through material from all three of their most current albums—They’re Only Chasing Safety, Define the Great Line, and Lost in the Sound of Separation. Highlights included “I Don’t Feel Very Receptive Today,” “The Impact of Reason,” “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door,” (Chasing Safety); “In Regards to Self,” “There Could be Nothing After This,” “Moving for the Sake of Motion,” (Define); and of course plenty from the new album: “Breathing in a New Mentality,” “The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed,” “Emergency Broadcast: The End Is Near,” “Too Bright to See Too Loud to Hear,” “A Fault Line. A Fault of Mine,” and the ultimate “Desperate Times Desperate Measures”.

Without a doubt, Underoath have been cultivating a rare understanding of both live performance and courageous musical creation. Retaining their bedrock Christian faith while pushing the outer limits of hardcore music, grappling with the most serious social, political, and relational issues of our time, these guys are in my humble opinion at the forefront of meaningful culture and deserve all of the credit for refusing to assimilate with just status quo, party-line issues. Theirs is honest, vivid, powerful music. And, thankfully, what’s true of their studio records is also true of them live. I myself am a drummer, and I can fully relate to the manner in which Underoath don’t just play their music, but feel it. Combined with some creative video media, their energy translated into an extremely entertaining show.

The metalcore/hardcore/screamo/emo-on-crack subgenres already have the proverbial deck stacked against them, but I am beginning to believe that in a gene pool packed full with cheap imitations and knockoffs, it is possible to take it to the next level and rise above the deafening cacophony.

Small Regret: That Underoath’s set wasn’t longer. Having 3 opening acts cheated me out of more music. Then again, it must take an inhuman amount of stamina to get through even just 10 of their songs…

Smaller Regret: That Underoath didn’t play “Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape,” a track from They’re Only Chasing Safety that I personally think ranks among their 3 best tracks of all time. It would make a great encore opener.

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