UNDEROATH | Erase Me | Album Review

Eight years is a long time gap in between albums. In Underoath's case, the hiatus from the recording studio was due to the fact that the band separated in 2012 to many fans' disdain. Founding member Aaron Gillespie had left in 2010 to focus more on a solo career as well as do a couple of albums with his side venture in The Almost, while Spencer Chamberlain and the other men involved in Underoath tried to soldier on through another album in the form of "O (Disambiguation)", but didn't last long before the breakup. After a multitude of side projects, the band regrouped in mid 2015 and speculation of a new album came into play shortly after that, with that reality finally proving true with 2018's "Erase Me", the band's first album in nearly eight years. With the new album also comes some controversy revolving around the band not placing as much of their attention to the Christian label anymore. The band's new biography found on Spotify goes on to explain this, as well as several corroborations from band members with some of them even growing further away from it or trying to figure out what exactly it is they believe. This has understandably caused some former fans to grow bitter and betrayed towards the band, but it should come as no shock that a band rejecting their older values for inclusion doesn't always mean the final product is a trainwreck. The question is whether or not this actually stands true for Underoath, or if it's not as big of a concern because of the execution of it. 

The first single to be released from this album and from the band in years was "On My Teeth". One major thing to point out before getting into the flow and the pacing of the song is the surprise F-bomb drop that is present right away in the first verse. This will undoubtedly polarize many fans of Underoath's earlier work who are wholly Christians and don't prefer to hear profanity in their music, especially from a Christian band. In fact, this is one of the contributors of the backlash the band has gotten by fans. Even though I am a Christian and I regularly profess my faith to others, I do feel that the F-bomb and most other curse words can work great in a song if they are used correctly, and that's exactly the case with "On My Teeth". The song just unleashes and Chamberlain's performance on this track is relentless and seething, so it works very well. Aside from that, the riffs and the overall energy and instruments used in the creation of this track are upfront throughout the entire track to match Chamberlain's screamed vocals that transition to rough cleans in the chorus. Another pre-released song, "Rapture", is much the same minus the presence of profanity and a more radio-centric format which is sort of new for Underoath. In fact, both songs feature a verse-chorus-verse format and it feels like this reveals that Underoath are trying to make it onto rock stations, and they certainly don't do a terrible job with either track. 

One of the best proclamations I can make about "Erase Me" is that it truly does feature some diversity, and it's not just from the two singles. Some tracks will have a focus on heaviness on this album while others will be anthems that need to be heard on the airwaves, and others go completely left field even from those two ideas. "Wake Me" is a track that fits perfectly with "Rapture" and I'm sure could be one of the singles to come off of this album. Even though I'm not crazy about the "drawing me like a moth" analogy that appears at the end of the first verse, everything else in the song including the piano notes heard in each verse sound fantastic. "It Has To Start Somewhere" is the album opener that kicks things off with a flurry that couldn't possibly be ignored, and tracks like "Ihateit", "No Frame", and "I Gave Up" are moments that build their way from a low valley to a high peak. "No Frame" in particular sounds like a result of what would happen if you mixed Starset and Northlane in a blender, and it's one of the best tracks you'll hear on this disc as well as the closing track "I Gave Up" which sounds a lot like a closing track on a more recent Red album, but features some excellent vocals that show Spencer Chamberlain at a more vulnerable position. It's proof everything on this disc has to be guitar driven in order for it to succeed. There are even some other moments here like "Hold Your Breath" where more profane words are used, and they still aren't distracting or lazily shoehorned into the album. What you'll hear on this disc is mostly well put together and planned out. 

While I am not necessarily loving this album as much as the people that have really adored everything about this disc which is probably due to tracks like "Bloodlust", "Sink With Me", and "In Motion" not necessarily keeping up with the excellence of cuts on here like "No Frame" and "Wake Me", the filler definitely does not overweigh the gems. Underoath may attempt to get people to stop classifying them as a Christian band but one thing that hasn't changed in the midst of all this is the band's ability to make great discs and fantastic albums. If you've been around the controversy surrounding the album and are a Christian yourself, you'll probably not like this album all of that much, and people expecting something similar to "Define The Great Line", "Lost In The Sound Of Separation", or even "They're Only Chasing Safety" will probably be turned away by the quieter moments and even turn their back on the other songs as well due to their vast difference from their previous work. However, if anyone of any persuasion or walk of life goes into this with an open mind, they will probably find something to their liking, whether that be in the softer moments or the harder edged moments. It is proof that Underoath are a band that can still deliver a consistent album without sacrificing who they are as people.

RATING: 8/10

What did you think about the record? Was it good? Was it bad? Let me know in the comments below. And of course, these are only my opinions. If your opinions are different, awesome! If they're similar, then that's great, too. So, don't hesitate- comment to me about it down below. Take care.