Information AboutUnderoath |
Underoath (sometimes stylized as '''Underøath''' or '''UnderOATH''') is a Christian Metalcore band from Tampa, Florida . 1234 They are currently signed to Tooth & Nail Records / Solid State Records . Though their musical style has changed substantially since their inception, Underoath's latest work has been primarily in the vein of Metalcore and Post Hardcore . Despite limited airplay on radio and television outlets such as MTV and VH1 , the band has achieved Gold Album status with their 2006 album '' Define The Great Line ''. HISTORY Early Years In 1998, Underoath formed in the bedroom of guitarist Luke Morton in Ocala, Florida . Luke Morton, (the group's first guitarist) devised the name Underoath, in a meeting with Dallas Taylor. After Dallas and Luke practiced a little bit, they decided that they needed a drummer. Aaron Gillespie went to Lukes church, when Luke asked him if he would be interested in playing with them. and thus Underoath was born. After playing at festivals and touring around Florida the band was signed to Takehold Records in 1999 and the same year released their debut, '' Act Of Depression ''. This album was followed a year later by the five-song, forty-minute '' Cries Of The Past ''; both albums are currently out of print. The band's lineup during this time changed frequently and bears little resemblance to the current band. Likewise, the band's music was far heavier in those days, dabbling in Deathcore , along with periodic structure and time changes and electronic elements. These first albums brought Underoath a small but devoted fanbase. In 2001 , Takehold Records was bought out by Tooth & Nail Records; Underoath was subsequently signed to Tooth & Nail Records ' heavier subsidiary, Solid State Records . The band, which was now a sextet, worked with '' Cries Of The Past '' producer James Paul Wisner ( Further Seems Forever , New Found Glory ) on their Solid State debut, '' The Changing Of Times '', which was released on February 26 , 2002 . Frequent lineup changes were the main cause of a slightly more accessible sound for the band; shorter songs and more melodic structures replaced the epic twists and turns of their earlier records. Though the change in style caused some long-time fans of the band to criticize the album, ''The Changing of Times'' went on to outsell both of their previous albums combined(each album only selling 1000 copies). In 2003, Underoath supported ''The Changing of Times'' through their first stint on the Vans Warped Tour but their participation in the tour came to a screeching halt when lead singer Dallas Taylor, under controversial conditions, left the band. Taylor was released by the band due to struggles with a relationship at the time. Taylor is now the lead singer for Southern Metalcore outfit Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster . Underoath dropped off the rest of the Warped Tour and the band's future was in considerable doubt. However, the band then went on a supporting tour with Atreyu that fall with Winter Solstice vocalist Matt Tarpey as the temporary vocalist. Then later in the year, at the CMJ Fest in New York City, the band reappeared with new lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain , formerly of This Runs Through . Recent Years ''They're Only Chasing Safety'' During the early months of 2004, '' They're Only Chasing Safety '' proved to be a breakout success for the band, going on to sell about 350,000 copies. Underoath moved even further away from their metal roots; drummer Gillespie made as much of an impact with his singing on the record as Chamberlain did with his screaming. "Reinventing Your Exit" and "It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door" (referring to a quote by Bilbo Baggins within The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien) were the album's singles; both songs spawned music videos that received airplay on MTV2 and Fuse . ''They're Only Chasing Safety'' debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and later charted well into the Billboard 200 . Following the release of the album, the band played a number of Warped Tour dates. In the Spring of 2005 the band was asked to participate on the inaugural Taste of Chaos tour. Shortly after the tour, the band embarked on its first headlining tour. The band premiered two brand-new songs during the length of the tour. The band landed on the cover of Alternative Press magazine for the first time in September of 2005, and in October of 2005, ''They're Only Chasing Safety'' was re-released in a two-disc set with four unreleased songs, new artwork by Converge 's Jacob Bannon , and a DVD with over two hours worth of the band touring in support of the album. ''Define the Great Line'' Underoath entered the studio in January 2006 to record their fifth album. Matt Goldman, who produced albums for Copeland and Norma Jean , and Adam Dutkiewicz , guitarist for Killswitch Engage , worked with the band in producing the album, which would come to be titled '' Define The Great Line ''.http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2006/definethegreatline.html The album combined the melodic tendencies of ''They're Only Chasing Safety'' with a return to the band's metalcore roots. An unfinished version of the album was leaked onto BitTorrent websites and P2P services months before the release date. Members of the band released a statement saying that the leaked version was an unmixed & unmastered, raw copy of the album which lacked certain elements and the finished product would sound much different. The band flew to Sweden in the spring of 2006 to make videos for the new songs "In Regards to Myself" and "Writing on the Walls"; the latter was chosen as the lead single for the album and was later nominated for the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video . When ''Define the Great Line'' released on June 20, 2006, it sold 28,000 copies in its first week and debuted on the Billboard 200 Chart at #2, Billboard Artist Chart Billboard Chart History the highest debut for a Christian album since 1997.[http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002763472 Furtado Scores First Chart-Topping Album] Billboard, June 26, 2006 In its first four weeks on the chart, it stayed in the top 100. It debuted at #1 on the Christian, Christian/Gospel, and Rock charts wich the band said that God(considered to be the bands number one fan by themselves)had helped them achieve such an honor. With the debut of ''Define the Great Line'', Underoath simultaneously released a special edition version of the album featuring special artwork and a DVD that includes another behind-the-scenes movie and a "making of" video. ''Define the Great Line'' was certified Gold by the RIAA on November 11 , 2006 , representing 500,000 shipped units of the album. It is the second album in Tooth & Nail history to reach that distinction (The first being Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo by MxPx in 2000). Drummer/vocalist Gillespie recorded a side project with Seattle producer Aaron Sprinkle under the name of The Almost shortly after ''Define the Great Line'' was recorded; The Almost subsequently was signed to Tooth & Nail and released its first record, '' Southern Weather '', on April 3 , 2007 . Gillespie plans to tour with The Almost whenever Underoath is not on tour. Underoath performed a Canadian tour followed by the 'Taste of Chaos World Tour', and also played at Cornerstone Festival 2007. Underoath will be playing again on Warped Tour 2007 from July 24th to August 9th. Underoath have also announced a tour of Australia and East Asia, scheduled for August 2007. In fall of 2007 they are scheduled to do a tour with Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster , Poison The Well , and Every Time I Die .6 ''777 DVD'' On July 17 , 2007 Underoath released a DVD entitled 777 to the US market. "Next month, we'll be releasing the first DVD from the UO camp. Jam-packed with 90+ minutes of footage taken from different tours around the US, as well as shows from Japan, Australia, Europe, Canada and the UK from the last two years. This DVD is a MUST-HAVE for any UO fan." The DVD, called ''777'', features all the music videos from ''Define the Great Line'', as well as a behind-the-scenes "making of the video" documentary from the "You're Ever So Inviting" shoot, live performances (such as the MySpace Secret Show) and more. The DVD was released internationally in July 2007. Departure From Warped Tour and NOFX Controversy Underoath was scheduled to spend the summer of 2006 on the main stage of the Warped Tour, but on July 28 , 2006 , it was announced that Underoath was dropping off the remaining dates of the tour. A statement from the band stated that the members "felt it necessary to take some immediate time to focus on our friendship, as that’s more important than risking it for the sake of touring at this time.". Underoath drops off Warped Tour , PunkNews.org, July 29, 2006 Rumors to the contrary, however, flew that the band had actually left because , . Burkett also revealed on the August 2006 ''Fat Wreck Chords Podcast'' that internal troubles amongst the members of Underoath started after Spencer Chamberlain had indulged in a couple of cans of Bud Light with Burkett backstage a few nights prior to Underoath's sudden departure,he said that Underoath should be called underweight for their lack of drinking ability supposedly reaching a drunk state of after three beers. "Bi-Costal Broadcast" , ''Fat Wreck Chords Podcast'', August 4, 2006 In an '' Alternative Press '' cover story on Underoath, Burkett told the magazine that Spencer Chamberlain had confided in him that Underoath's band members had been "having a lot of arguments over their religious beliefs.".Staddon, Tristan. "Sometimes You Walk the Line, Sometimes the Line Walks You", ''Alternative Press'', Issue #219, October 2006, pp.180-186. In a sidebar of the same article, Burkett stated that he was "not calling Underoath homophobic, but they're against homosexual people having the same rights that straight people do. I find that to be bigoted."Staddon, Tristan. "Cross Fire", ''Alternative Press'', Issue #219, October 2006, p.186. Tim McTague admitted that "90 percent of what Mike believes in and thinks is right about our country and our government, I agree with... [my] opinion doesn't align with the conservative church or the extreme leftist liberal side, either." In a January 2007 interview with Ultimate-guitar.com, Tim McTague stated the following when asked about Fat Mike's involvement in Underoath's departure,
Future Plans In a recent interview at SaintRocknRoll.com with Tim McTague, he stated they are starting to work on a new album already. When asked how the new album would sound in comparison to the others, he replied "HEAVY. Way heavier than Define the Great Line. We got like 2 or 3 songs." CURRENT MEMBERS
FORMER MEMBERS
DISCOGRAPHY SONG SAMPLES Press the title of the song and download
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