Underoath Album: “Changing of the Times”

Great hardcore cd. A lot different than their new cd, which isn't bad either. And to clear the air, underOATH IS a christian band. I recently saw them in concert for the Taste of Chaos tour. They made it very clear to everyone of their christian beliefs.

I wasnt too sure about them at first, i downloaded a few songs, then saw them live and that pushed me to hear more. Once i gave the CD a chance it blew me away. Bands with a keyboardist arent really that great (to me) but they pull it off. The vocals sound great, from the screaming to the clean vocals. I definitly suggest you pick this one up.

Forget about the Taking Back Sunday comparisons on this album. Forget about pop-sensibility and what everyone calls a `definitive screamo' sound. The newest album from Underoath, They're Only Chasing Safety, may fall into that category but if you've ever heard this disc, you know it has more in common with Zao than The Used with much less melodic singing than some of the newer Zao material.

So what is this album? The Changing of Times is more in the vain of the traditional Christian post-hardcore sound; just much more brutal. The single off the album, ""When the Sun Sleeps"" is the only track with an easy to grasp hook. The rest of this disc will appeal to fans of a post-hardcore sound that doesn't compromise. The keyboards add a great texture to the songs but never come fully to the forefront savefor ""Angel Below,"" which uses a cheesy synth sound that I could do without but is turned into such a bad ass brooding riff that I instantly forgive them for doing it. The album overall should find a lot of the same fans as the early Bleeding Through albums but less spastic. The album is focused on riffs and building momentum through screams and the underlying keyboards.

There aren't many songs that use the layered screaming/clean vocals that have begun to make the genre turn stale but the ones that do, such as the title track, do it perfectly and with precision. Keeping in mind the time period in when this disc was released, there weren't many bands trying to do what Underoath became a pioneer of. Though this disc sees Underoath leave their death metal influenced EP days behind, it sees them embrace a melodic, albeit not that much more melodic, side of the post-hardcore genre that we would better know as screamo a year or two later. Recommended for fans of early post-hardcore!

For Fans of: Zao, From Autumn to Ashes, Bleeding Through

When I first discovered Underoath, I was at a concert and was truly impressed with their ability to keep a captive audience with their amazing stage presence and intensity. When I went out and bought the CD, I wasn't disappointed. That same energy is channeled through the speakers in the form of a wall of sound and emotion. Buy this album.

Just plainly...Dallas is the most amazing screamer ever. old underOATH rocks. Octavio is an awesome guitarist. and that Marissa girl below me has no idea what she's talking about underOATH wise