Review Summary: Raw energy and pure emotion cancel out most if not all other faults on the 3rd installment of Underoath's ever expanding discography.
Underoath have always been an interesting band to me, one that has gone through many genre shifts since their formation in November of 1997. There first two releases were primarily forgettable black metal albums with slight metalcore influences. With "The Changing of Times" Underoath further dwells into metalcore territory but as the album title suggest there has been a change in the beast known as Underoath and that change is for the better.
The band immediately impress with the album opener, "When the Sun Sleeps", which showcases the very different sounding Underoath. The track starts out with a synth beat followed by the bands strongest aspect, the vocals. Dallas Taylor screams, "I thought you'd come back, at least I prayed". The raw emotion of the album not only grows but intensify as Aaron's cleans vocals shine through at all the right times. Aaron's voice is never overused on this album and all of his passages seem special and add depth to each track. The vocals reach their peak on the last traditional track, "Alone in December". The song is shared between verses of spoken dialogue and Dallas's emotionally charged shrieks i which the lyrics paint their own self deprecating image, "I kept silent and it rained for days, my insides were drenched but I guess that's the part of growing up". Throughout the album the lyrics never falter and the vocals are always top notch.
Another change in the band is that there is no longer the typical song structure. On almost every track they mix things up and add in a new riff or a subtle chime of a keyboard which is always placed in a perfect spot for the listener to take in. All of the changes are a step up for the band since on previous releases the songs seemed to drag and became a struggle to finish. Not so on this album as nothing stays the same for too long and new ideas are constantly being added to the mix.
One glaring problem for most listeners is the low production value. The production aspect of the album can be taken two ways, one being that the album was hastily put together for a release or that the album is raw and emotionally charged that doesn't need polished production to be a superb outing. I will always be a strong believer of the latter. While the drumming is almost always the highlight little can be said about the bass since more often than not it is inaudible and forgotten in the mix. The guitar riffs are top notch but don't steal the show allowing for most aspects of the album to be balanced and able to shine through when they are needed.
But with every fault the album has there is an equal amount of raw energy and emotion to take it's place. I've never considered this an "emo" album by any means but at times the lyrics can be downright depressing with lines such as, "I rip my heart out to give to you alone it never did me any good, hold me close, wash my mind, destroy the me that lives inside" from the 4th track,"Never Meant to Break Your Heart". Captivating lines such as these never come off cheesy or melodramatic, they come off as if someone were screaming in agony or the cries of a person in great despair.
All in all this is one of Underoath's strongest outputs and sadly the last release featuring Dallas Taylor and while I have enjoyed most other Underoath albums I still believe that Dallas Taylor was an irreplaceable member and he will always remain my favorite Underoath vocalist.
Recommended Tracks
When The Sun Sleeps
A Message For Adrienne
Alone in December
