The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 230

I would describe their sound as a blend of Basement and Moneen.

 

With a TON of High Fidelity quotes!

 

Ya its kinda their thing to throw in clips in there. I love it because they dont overdo it. Fits in perfectly. Its the same on their eps.

 

These guys remind me a bit of TTNG. Sort of math rock.

 

Posted it in the Listening Party thread but I figured you guys would be into this. I created a Discord Server (It's a group chat app/website) for Chorus.fm that's able to host listening parties for songs/albums in unison with all of us being in a simultaneous voice chat, similar to turntable.fm or plug.dj . I also threw in a couple other things for shits and giggles. Currently playing Lost In The Sound of Separation. Come check it out https://discord.gg/49w4J3f

 

Nice! I’ll make it at some point, not tonight though.


We miss you here man!

 

I will be back at some point, life got really busy and I haven't had a lot of time. Hopping back in soon!

 

This makes me happy!

Just don’t pull a Delonge and keep saying that somethings gonna get done and never do it lol

 

please don’t compare anyone here to tom delonge

 

Do better thread.

 

Underoath: Erase Me (2018) Fearless Records


Today marks the triumphant return of Post-Hardcore/screamo heavyweights Underoath. Will this record be a return to form? Will they reinvent themselves? Are they still a Christian band? These are some of the questions that I am sure a lot of fans are wondering. I think this record is going to surprise people for a variety of reasons. The first thing the band is foreshadowing with this release is the album cover and this one speaks for itself with the depiction of weathered and broken angel.

Right from the beginning of the record, on the aptly titled, It Has To Start Somewhere, we are given a fairly standard Underoath song that could fit comfortably on They're Only Chasing Safety. It has Spencer and Aaron trading vocal duties and it works very well. It is a rocker and from the second you hit play it will keep you banging your head. I think most people at this point are totally on board.

Next, we go right into the two singles that were released for the album, Rapture and On My Teeth. Rapture is by far the bands most radio friendly song they have ever released but they do it well it and it fits them. On My Teeth is a definitely a song the band wanted people to hear for a variety of reasons. First off, that they are still relevant and can not only be heavy but somewhat radio friendly. It is the first song to really incorporate this "industrial" dark sound they use throughout the record and it really works for the overall feel of the album. But more importantly, they want you to delve deeper into their lyrics. The band has been extremely open about the fact that they are no longer a Christian band and have even gone so far as to denounce the idea of religion altogether. I can't imagine the pressure they felt to be these beacons of light and hope to young fans and bands, becoming essentially the biggest "Christian" band. At a time when they were at their lowest, Spencer especially, they looked to these fans they had helped get through hard times and they were nowhere to be found, casting him off as not one of their own. Spencer has been clean for over a year now and the band comes back with a vengeance and this song is a great way to see what the whole album has in store for their listeners. Lyrics like this show they have a new found sense of purpose:

"I'm not your fucking prey,
So Save Yourself,
and NO ONE ELSE..."
"What you believe,
Your life is a lie..."

The other thing I like about the album is that they use Aaron as a front man a lot. The first "Aaron" song is Wake Up and is actually kind of a poppy song and makes Rapture seem heavy, but contrasting this are very dark lyrics, essentially saying people need to wake up and see the truth.

Sink With You: this song may alienate a lot of their long time fans but is actually one of my favorite songs on the album. It has this very dark, industrial sound to it. I also love how around the 4 minute mark, the song just fades out and then comes blasting back in. I had to make sure I was listening to Underoath with the lyrics:

"...Tell me once more that I'm safe,
I've never believed so give me faith,
The fear of death is sinking in,
I'd rather die than sink with you,

You can't make it ok"

My other favorite song is Hold Your Breath and is one of those with a nice contrast between Spencer and Aaron. It is another rocker but I love how the song slows right down around the 3 minute mark and then out of the darkness we get Spencer screaming: "DON'T GET ME STARTED". The song makes me think of Mike Shinoda in how people place them on a pedestal and think they are these perfect people without problems. The lyrics are once again very impactful:

"Alone at the top of the world,
I forgot it was safe down below...

...I never asked you for this,
so don't tell me I'm to blame."

I don't want to spoil the record for anyone so I will stop there. I think this is a really good comeback album for them and yes, a lot of people will call them sell outs and that its too poppy or has too many nods to nu metal. But at the same time, this is a band that is trying to reinvent their image and I give them so much credit for stripping themselves of that overused and aged title. That title brought them to such a dark place and they are here to show you that titles don't matter and believe what you want, but don't let that restrict you from exposing yourself to new things, the people you hang out with, or most importantly what music you listen to.

Is this record perfect? No, but it is great record to rock out to and makes you want to sit down and digest the lyrics. I really like the fact that there are Aaron songs, Spencer songs and then Underoath songs. You get a nice mix of their talents and show that they are not going to sit in one specific genre.

Favorite songs:
It Has to Start Somewhere
Sink With You
Hold Your Breath

 

Awesome job, Nate! I really appreciate the extra details and background you mentioned. I tried out the tracks in the link, and I did better than I expected with it! I'm interested to check it out as a whole.

 

Great review, I’ll be checking this out!

 

I'm currently listening to this record and came in here to see if anyone was talking about it - thankfully you posted this great review.

This record for me feels almost a test record - they are experimenting with the straight rock and elements of the pop world. I think if they continue after this record what we will get after will be even better. A lot of people are going to jump ship on this record.

 

Agreed. I also think it’s a record for them to get their demons off their chest and test who their true fans are.

 

Absolutely - some of the songs and new things they try on this are going to surprise a lot of people. I mean "Wake Me" is almost a pop/rock song. Although the screaming is infrequent in comparison to their other records when it does happen it blows your hair back like the bridge of "In Motion".

 

Great song and it’s all about Spencer’s drug addiction. I also agree, I like how perfectly placed the screams are.

 

If someone has enjoyed their past releases but doesn't enjoy their new release and their change of direction, I would hardly say that they aren't "true fans" anymore. The phrase "true fans" in general is very off-putting to me. I think that someone can be a fan of an artist and at the same time not enjoy every single thing that the artist has done.

 

I’m speaking in terms of their lyrical content and the label they choose to apply to themselves.

 

True fans stab you in the front

 

Dammit man! Now I want to listen to BmTH!

 

"True fans" are people that love The Canyon.

 

I still need to listen to that.

 

10/10

 

Oh trust me you don't need to.