Underoath is an American rock band founded in Tampa, FL by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton along with the last core member Aaron Gillespie. The current lineup is as follows:
- Aaron Gillespie
- Christopher Dudley – keyboardist
- Timothy McTague- lead guitarist
- Grant Brandell – bassist
- Spencer Chamberlain – lead vocalist
- James Smith – rhythm guitarist
They released seven albums before breaking up and did the eighth album when they got back together. Let’s dive in.
Is Underoath a Religious Band?
Dalla Taylor and Luke Morton created the band in 1997. Luke got the name from “somewhere in the Bible” as he recalled according to Wikipedia. Aaron went to Luke’s church and was asked to play with them, to which he agreed. The band then hired Corey Steger to be the guitarist and Octavio Fernandez to play the bass. All of the members were in high school at the time.
After playing for a year, they signed with Alabama’s Take hold Records in 1999. Luke left the band around this time and wasn’t on any of their recordings. In July of the same year, their debut album, Act of Depression, was released and sold over 2,000 copies.
Christopher Dudley joined the band in 2000. Soon after, the band released their second album, Cries of the Past, which contained only five songs but was forty minutes long. Corey left the band and died in a car accident in 2001. Seattle’s Tooth & Nail Records bought out Take hold Records, and the band was signed to the company’s subsidiary, Solid State Records. The debut album under the new label was called The Changing Times in 2002 and produced one single When the Sun Sleeps. Dallas said that the lyrics on the album were about “playing with other people’s emotion and how it can leave you bitter” and “struggling through life’s hardships and trying to find God in all of it.”
The next album, released in 2004, was called They’re Only Chasing Safety and proved to be a bigger success. Spencer returned to the band around this time as the lead vocalist. The album sold 100,000 copies in the first week and was certified gold in 2005. The sound and rhythm were quite different from their earlier albums. The two singles from the albums were Reinventing Your Exit and It’s Dangerous Business Walking out Your Front Door. Videos were made from each song. The album was re-released in a two-CD set with four unreleased songs along with a DVD of the band touring in support of the album.
The fifth album, Define the Great Line, was about an individual having to “find that line and that way to live your life.” These lyrics meant a lot to Corey because they were written about “things that have molded him into who he is today.” A version of the album that wasn’t completed was leaked to BitTorrent and P2P (peer-to-peer) services. In 2006, the band was pursued by several major record labels but re-signed with Tooth & Nail Records. They did this because they felt major brands “don’t get heavy band” and “we don’t really agree with a lot of the business practices major labels employ sometimes.”
The album sold 98,000 copies in the first week and debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200. This was the second album to be certified gold for the band.
The band released their sixth album, Lost in the Sound of Separation in 2008. It debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200 and sold around 56,000 copies in the US alone.
The band broke up in 2013, but reunited in 2015 and released two more albums, Erase Me and Voyeurist.
What kind of music is Underoath?
Underoath has been classified as metalcore, hardcore, post-hardcore, emo, screamo, and Christian metal.
Influences include Refused, At the Drive-In, Jimmy Eat World, Radiohead, and Isis.
Is Underoath a Christian Band?
Underoath was considered a Christian band in its early years. However, in 2006, Spencer explained, “[We are Christian but] in a different way. We’re not like your average Christian band.” He explained that Christianity is the backbone of their lives, especially in the way they handle certain things, but it’s not the backbone of their lyrics. Christopher said most of their audience is not Christian nor are the bands they tour with. Spencer also said, I look at us as just another band in the secular market like with all these other hardcore bands and we just happen to be a Christian band that has different beliefs.” Finally, Aaron stated, “I’m definitely a Christian, but I don’t think Underoath should be a ‘Christian band’”
The song On My Teeth from the album Erase Me was the first song that had profanity in the lyrics. Their Spotify profile reads, “The band who once openly—and without apology—professed their faith-based worldview onstage nightly, have since moved beyond the realm of seemingly impenetrable polemics. At various junctures, Erase Me illustrates those moments of sanctuary, anxiety, betrayal, and conflict that inevitably arise when humanity grapples with belief systems.” However, the most notable quote was from Spencer, who stated that “my journey and my role in playing in a Christian band, I held a huge burden and I got burnt badly and was treated awfully. I’m not saying religion is wrong for everyone, but for me it was wrong. It ruined my life, turned me into a drug addict and people were awful to me the whole time. I never felt more alone in my life than when I was Christian.”
Based on these quotes, I don’t consider Underoath a Christian band.
Underoath band Christian Songs
I don’t consider Underoath a Christian band, especially since they stated that Christianity isn’t the backbone of their lyrics. Having said that, I’m not going to list any songs here.
Is Underoath a satanic band?
Although I don’t consider Underoath to be a Christian band, there’s no evidence they are satanic.
Conclusion
I would never judge people as to whether they are Christian or not. I’ll just say I don’t think they have a good grasp on what being a Christian means. Upon reading their story, they don’t put their faith in God. As always, you have to decide for yourself whether they are a Christian band or not.