Underoath
Underoath (sometimes stylized as Underøath or UnderOATH)
is a Christian Metalcore band from Tampa, Florida. They are currently signed to
Tooth & Nail Records/Solid State Records.
Early Years
In 1998 Underoath formed in the bedroom of guitarist Luke Morton in Ocala,
Florida. Luke Morton, (the group's first guitarist) devised the name Underoath,
in a meeting with Dallas Taylor. After Dallas and Luke practiced a little bit,
they decided that they needed a drummer. Aaron Gillespie went to Luke's church,
when Luke asked him if he would be interested in playing with them, he agreed,
and thus Underoath was born. After playing at festivals and touring around
Florida the band was signed to Takehold Records in 1999 and the same year
released their debut, Act of Depression. This EP was followed a year later by
the five-song, forty-minute Cries of the Past; both are currently out of print.
The band's lineup during this time changed frequently and bears little
resemblance to the current band. Likewise, the band's music was far heavier in
those days, dabbling in Black Metal and Death Metal, along with periodic
structure and time changes and electronic elements. These first albums brought
Underoath a small but devoted fanbase.
In 2001, Takehold Records was bought out by Tooth & Nail Records; Underoath was
subsequently signed to Tooth & Nail Records' heavier subsidiary, Solid State
Records. The band, which was now a sextet, worked with Cries of the Past
producer James Paul Wisner (Further Seems Forever, New Found Glory) on their
Solid State debut, The Changing of Times, which was released on February 26,
2002. Frequent lineup changes were the main cause of a slightly more accessible
sound for the band; shorter songs and more melodic structures replaced the epic
twists and turns of their earlier records. Though the change in style caused
some long-time fans of the band to criticize the album, The Changing of Times
went on to outsell both of their EPs combined.
In 2003, Underoath supported The Changing of Times through their first stint on
the Vans Warped Tour but their participation in the tour came to a screeching
halt when lead singer Dallas Taylor, under controversial conditions, left the
band. Taylor is now the lead singer for Southern metalcore outfit Maylene and
the Sons of Disaster. It is worthy to note that Taylor was on tour with Maylene
and the Sons of Disaster alongside Underoath in their headlining tour in the
fall of 2007.
Underoath dropped off the rest of the Warped Tour and the band's future was in
considerable doubt. However, the band then went on a supporting tour with Atreyu
that fall with Winter Solstice vocalist Matt Tarpey as the temporary vocalist.
Then later in the year, at the CMJ Fest in New York City, the band reappeared
with new lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain, formerly of This Runs Through.
