Review Summary: "Close my eyes / just for tonight / the sun still sleeps / and when she wakes you'll be a memory"
“God take me because I hate me” – these proved to be the last words Dallas Taylor would ever scream on an Underoath album. Yet, while they may be harrowing, there could not be a more fitting end to his time in the band. For the words sum up his very purpose in Underoath, his entire career with them compressed into seven pained words.
You see, Taylor never had what Spencer Chamberlain does in terms of vocals. Chamberlain would go on to refine his vocal style further, becoming a diverse harsh (and now, with the release of “Disambiguation”) clean vocalist. Taylor’s low growls on “Act of Depression” and “Cries of the Past” could not bring nearly enough power and grunt to ever hope to be one of the greats. But he didn’t have to be. Because he possesses something far more special, far more meaningful than simple vocal ability. What Taylor had was emotion.
The events that transpired at around the time of the release of “Cries of the Past” in 2000 led to Taylor and his fiancée being separated by whichever story you choose to believe (I’m not here to settle the debate). Either way, the man was heartbroken. Distraught, in fact. So, we had the release of “Cries of the Past”, which was an angry, confusing blur of extreme metal, all wrapped around Dallas’s pain and anguish. But the progressive black metal atmospheres and death metal influenced hardcore were all too angry for someone who had just seen the love of his life disappear before his eyes. This all transformed with the release of “The Changing of Times”, Underoath’s third and most diverse album at the time.
Tracks such as “When the Sun Sleeps”, “The Changing of Times” and “Alone in December” are perfect examples of Dallas’s suffering, with lyrics such as “I thought you’d come back / at least I prayed / the romance has been dead for years / but I’ve been too afraid to dig the grave” and “you’ve gotten over me / but it seems I’ll never get over you” paving the way for some excellent musicianship. The vocals are simply outstanding, on tracks such as these in particular; not in terms of being technically proficient, but rather at conveying the emotion Taylor expresses through his lyrics. One can hear the desperation and hurt in his voice, especially when he changes his harsh vocals into almost spoken-word cleans at many points throughout the album, most notably on “When the Sun Sleeps” and “Alone in December”.
However, the true value of this creation is only fully realized when listening straight through its 35 minutes at once. “The Changing of Times” is somewhat of an autobiography of Dallas Taylor, a look into the inner workings of the very vessel that drives him – the story of his heart. There are tales of his heartbreak, his religion and his personality. Everything relates, everything works as one to create the man that we know as Dallas and all is perfectly exemplified through his work here. Musically, the rest of the band does all of what is expected of them, creating synth-infested hard rock (“Angel Below”), punk energy (“Letting Go of Tonight”) and straight-up metal (“A Message for Adrienne”) in a way that keeps every track different, but never lets the flow of the album disappear. All this over Taylor’s bared skin and bone, and you have what is nearly a perfect record.
Perhaps the best reason to buy this album lies in its beautifully crafted masterpiece alone, the aforementioned “Alone in December”. For a genre as restrictive as metalcore, this song is undoubtedly a classic. Dallas gives in what is his final and most impressive vocal performance on an Underoath record, screaming his soul out and crying for release. Anyone who has gone through heartbreak, depression or lost someone they love will be able to appreciate this song. The verses flitter between spoken-word and screamed vocals over a mournful keyboard tune and masterful drumming from Aaron Gillespie, all with the backing of Octavio Fernandez and Tim McTague’s simple, yet effective guitar-work. The lyrics are showcased at their best here, with Taylor lamenting his loss one more time using some truly beautiful imagery and painting his definitive picture of sorrow. The song ends with a magnificent, swelling crescendo with Dallas begging God for death to relieve him of his pain.
All in all, “The Changing of Times” is the story of a man. A man who could be compared to any other on the street and not be out of place. A man who has experienced heartbreak, found God and made a reasonable success out of himself. In other words, “The Changing of Times” is the story of you and I, simply living life the way it is. And that is what makes this album great in my eyes and every hardcore, nay, every music fan should own it. Yes, give it a real listen and “The Changing of Times” is that good.
Recommended tracks:
When the Sun Sleeps
A Message for Adrienne
The Changing of Times
Alone in December
