beekd91's Full Review: They're Only Chasing Safety by Underoath
Here’s the latest screamo-emo rock band that hooked me somehow. UnderOATH is definitely the most unique. Out of all the rock disks I own, UnderOATH screams the most. Seriously. If they don’t scream at least a third of the time on the whole album, well, call me a one-legged pig. And boy, it’s awesome to hear guys scream this much! Man, I am a sucker for screaming, and these guys really sucked me in!
Ok, a general overview thingy: UnderOATH is a screamo band. For those who don’t get my music jargon, it means a rock band that screams a lot. Also, these guys have a few pinches of emo mixed in. Emo, for those who still don’t understand a word I’m saying, is rock with high-pitched emotional singing (emphasis on emotional). So here you have it: UnderOATH screams and sings emotionally.
Also, : UnderOATH is not very structured. Most bands follow a simple verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-coda for nearly all of their songs. These guys only do it once the whole disk. Sometimes this works brilliantly. Other times, it gives a random, lost feel.
Ok, I’m out of pointless chitchat. Let’s get on with this review!
UnderOATH is…
Spencer Chamberlain: vocals
Aaron Gillespie: drums, vocals
Tim McTague: guitar
Christopher Dudley: keys
Grant Brandell: bass
James Smith: guitar
Ed. Note: I am frequently lost as to who’s screaming and who’s singing. The majority of the time, I assume it’s Spence.
1. Young and Aspiring I feel that I am just an end/ so you play the mistaken/ and I’ll play the victim…
The first track starts off with some keyboards that sound a lot like music from the cartoon “Totally Spies” from Cartoon Network. Immediately after this sound effect, Spencer (or Aaron, not sure) rips off a loud scream: “So let’s not even try!!!” Most of the verse is screaming until the second section. The chorus goes into a slow, emo-like little romp and goes right back into the verse without any sort of delay. The second verse is a different format than the first one; there’s a few more sections the second time around. The coda is the song’s highlight: Spencer just rips the mic with his screams: “This is my panic! This is my call to arms!” The main theme here seems to be about someone’s struggle with vanity and is calling for help. A nice up-tempo little opener here, but certainly not the album’s highlight.
Rating: 85%
2. A Boy Brushed Red… Living in Black and White I feel your heart against mine/ so take a breath and close your eyes…
This song shows off UnderOATH’s secret skill: a track “starts” before the previous one ends. Here, the chugging guitar of “A Boy Brushed Red…” starts just a split second before my Walkman actually gets to track two. Either my Walkman’s faulty, or UnderOATH’s pulling off a nice gimmick. Anyhow, the verse starts off with some quick speaking along with that chugging guitar. This precedes a short scream session, which precedes singing part that leads into the prechorus. The chorus is the first time on the song that the tempo slows down even slightly. But boy, that chorus has some of the coolest lyrics ever: “Your lungs have failed and they both stopped breathing/ my heart is dead; it’s way past beating… I never thought we’d make it out alive/ I never told you but it’s all in your goodbyes…” Whoa. The bridge is also awesome as Spencer finally starts screaming for a far-too-brief period until the chorus picks up again. After a final rendition of the chorus, the screaming kicks up again with the last lines of the chorus just ripping the mic. The message is about somebody dealing with the harsh reality that he slept with a girl and regrets it horribly. Really nice stuff with some awesome lyrics.
Rating: 92%
3. The Impact of Reason I can actually see my breath tonight/ but that doesn’t mean I’m breathing…
Track three gets a little darker musically with some low guitar at the start. The verse is mostly screaming and sounds very nice. Spence just screams the whole time. The verse sounds even better when he screams “Silence is golden/ especially in this case…” to pounding guitars. The chorus slows down a little and throws in some great lyrics and showcases Spencer’s great singing voice. The second chorus has some different lyrics, but is in no way worse. The bridge is pretty much not there; there’s a coda, but no bridge. This is one of the harder songs on the disk, no doubt there. I think, though, it’s an odd song in that it’s over three minutes, but feels very short. All I’m getting out of the lyrics is that, well, the impact that simple, old-fashioned reason has on relationships. Most of that opinion came from the closing line: “Now conversation sparks/ what an easy way to break the ice”, which seems to be a stab at America’s “kiss now, talk later” philosophy. It’s a nice song, but nothing exceptional.
Rating: 84%
4. Reinventing Your Exit Feeling like we’re gold/ and we’re nothing short of invincible…
This is the first UnderOATH song I ever heard and apparently the most popular. Well, it’s definitely the punkiest. In a rare occurrence, it’s not a bad thing in my book. It starts off with a high-pitched ringing sound before flowing into some odd guitar sounds. The verse is all singing except for quick gaps where the screaming begins. The chorus is pretty hooky with some awesome singing and some well-timed screams playing along with some pretty nice keys from Chris. The bridge is half scream session, half instrumental phrase. I personally like the first half (no surprise there!). The chorus immediately following is pretty awesome as Spencer’s voice drops down in volume a bit and sounds pretty cool. This is easily the most structured song on the CD as UnderOATH actually follows the v/prechorus/c/v/c/b/c out formula. The message, again, seems to be regret at early sex or something like that. But of course, it’s the hit single; it’s built to be hooky, and thus doesn’t keep all the good things about this band. Still, not bad.
Rating: 90%
5. The Blue Note
No lyrics, no quote. Ok, this song is getting a lot of criticism, since it’s a 50-second instrumental on a 10-track disk, which means that the disk is short. Look, if you put out an instrumental, it’d either be hooky (see The OC Supertones’s “Caught Inside”) or beautiful. This is…well, pathetic. It’s just a boring, slightly jazzy drum loop with a watery guitar joining it eventually. This bland mix is soon accompanied by some sounds that sound like a watery quack (for lack of a better description). However, it does do that old “start the next track before you’re done” trick. That’s all. No fun. Boo-hiss.
Rating: 40%
6. It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door The people will all gather/ to remember such a day where the flames grew as high as trees…
Now this is more like it! This awesome track starts off on a nice guitar riff and Spencer soon joins in and shreds the mic with his screams. The chorus comes in early, but quietly as Spencer speaks in all quarter notes and sounds awesome as he sings. The second verse is alright, but short. When the chorus kicks in again, the instrumentals are louder and Spencer holds his notes longer than before. It’s pretty cool to hear him sing and Aaron makes a lyrical appearance, too. The bridge is drop-dead awesome!!! The guitar and drums just roll along to Spence’s voice and it’s so PERFECT!!! “I will bring new meaning to the word alone/ endless nights of dreaming of life…” Whoa. Don’t stop guys! Unfortunately, the first half of the awesome bridge has to end and fade into a really poppy drum loop. A choir comes in then and just sings the same line over and over: “Drowning in my sleep/ I’m drowning in my sleep…” Spencer just rips through right about then and just goes crazy!! I can’t understand half of what he says, but it’s awesome!! Man, this song is so great!!! *sigh* Anyhow, I guess the message here is yet another song about pre-marriage sex and the problems with it and how someone keeps seeing it recurring in his dreams (or something like that). Just so nice.
Rating: 94%
7. Down, Set, Go Make a sound; it’s safe for you/ to choke in here alone…
Lucky seven strikes again!! This is my favorite song on the disk, no questions asked. The intro really sounds cool; Spence’s screams are slightly distorted and the instrumentals just flow. The verses sound almost like something Relient K would do as Spence just sounds so punky: “I’m a halfwit boy/ cracking a smile and wearing it all on my sleeve…” The chorus ain’t shabby, either; Spence and Aaron sing the whole time for a change and I’m starting to think Spence’s voice is almost as good as blindside’s Christian Lindskog’s. The coda really makes this song awesome. First, the drums stop for a bit as Spence croons along with a clean guitar and possibly an acoustic from the backup guitarist, James. The lyrics are awesome: “Make a sound; it’s safe for you/ to choke in here alone…” While this part is awesome, the second half blows me away. It gets heavy again and Spence shifts from screaming to singing and back for a few lines before he just lets it RIP with the simple line “You’re not here with me!” My GOSH, that is so dang AWESOME!!!! Spence screaming and Tim ripping the old guitar in half? Man, so sweet. Just great. I guess the message is a guy having sex and suddenly realizing what he did, so he tries to force her out of his mind. Nice theme, definitely original.
Rating: 98%
8. I Don’t Feel Very Receptive Today I feel like cutting it open tonight/ and falling on the floor…
Ok, track seven’s over. On with the review. This romp starts off some spacey keys from Chris and then the screaming begins. I’m warning you: this song isn’t exactly a highlight of Spence’s singing voice. Heck, try to find five sung words in the whole song and you’ll fail. He screams constantly. Alright, that’s out of the way. This song is completely unstructured. There’s about six lyrical sections to this song and five different rhythms. The first section is fast and features some nice drumming from Aaron. The second section is fast but pretty short; a couple renditions of “I’m sure I’ve tasted this before, before…” and it’s done. The third section is a quick pseudo-verse with some nice guitars from Tim. The fourth section has some more nice guitars and some awesome lyrics (see top sample). The fifth section is pretty much the third one with different lyrics. The final vocal section just rocks. The guitar just pounds, the drums fly, and Spence lets it rip: “I feel like wringing it dry tonight/ yeah, yeah, over and over again/ it’s time, it’s time, to open up the door, the door!” It’s great, man. The only flaw with the song is ridiculously prominent: the ending is just pathetic. After the lyrics end (way too early, by the way) the guitar fades out, the backup guitar plays a little, and after a static-esque fuzzy noise, a drum loop and a bland guitar part take over. Sheesh, I thought “The Blue Note” was annoying, but now this!! Aye, you ruined an awesome song!!!!
Rating: 86%
9. I’m Content With Losing I’ll fantasize of being manic/ and leaving us behind…
A lot of albums have at least one song that sounds “eh” at first, but grows on you every time you listen to it. This is one of those tracks. UnderOATH goes back to their punky sound here for an awesome cut. It starts quickly: a couple drum pounds and we’re off. The verses are fast and punky as Spence sings and Aaron screams. The chorus sounds awesome as Spence just sings some awesome stuff: “I’m halfway there, but it’s so long now/ this is what I get for wanting more…” screams a few lines, and then just goes crazy on his screams: “So I’ll tie it around! And round! And round! I’ll tie me down!!” Really nice stuff. The second verse picks up immediately and flies along. The bridge is just another nice emo moment until the second half. Spence lets out his loudest scream yet: “I want to know how to get there fast/ get there fast without choking up…” Finally, the first and second halves of the chorus are played at the same time along to ferocious screams. I hope so bad that it’s just Spence, Aaron, and another UnderOATH guy singing, because I hate when the studio just plays back a loop, as likely as it is in this case. Studio loop or not, this is a really good song when it grows on you (if it has to).
Rating: 93%
10. Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape Hey unfaithful, I will teach you to be stronger/ Hey ungraceful, I will teach you to forgive one another…
It’s a little too early, definitely, but nonetheless, here’s the closer. The final track starts off on a rapid cymbal beat and a mellow guitar picks up with it. Spence’s voice is downright beautiful in the verse; it almost sounds angelic. The chorus features an acoustic for a change and has the lyrics in the top sample. The second verse is pretty nice, but it’s the bridge/coda that sets this song apart from other ballads: Spence speaks: “And Jesus/ I’m ready to come…” and then EXPLODES when he screams “…home!” Aaron keeps the screaming going as Spence repeats what he says and soon the guys pull of a little trade-off on an extended singing of “home”. For the closing line, Spence sings “Hey unfaithful, hey ungraceful hey unloving/ I will love you/ Hey unloving/I will love you!” The song ends on some more mellow guitar and some higher-pitched keyboard sounds. What really makes me love this one is Spence’s scream of “home”. You get all sucked into his calm, reverent voice, and then he just blows your ear off with that scream. In any case, this is a beautiful ballad, but it’s not near to East West in terms of ballads by hard rock bands.
Rating: 93%
And that’s it, folks. As awesome as this CD is, it’s just too short. If “The Blue Note” is pretty much the sole reason, besides the fact that it’s a 10-track album, which is pretty much a guarantee for shortness. I do like these guys a lot, but the disk will probably take time to grow on you. Just sit back and listen to the sound of men screaming and singing. You’ll take to these guys eventually.
Once again, thanks to http://www.christianrocklyrics.com for saving all the time it would take me to run upstairs and read the lyrics sheet.
In 2002, Underoath released \The Changing of Times\ -the best selling debut release in Solid States history. Now these six Florida natives are ready t...More at Christianbook.com
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.