Review Summary: Underoath's evolution on display; don't expect Define the Great Line 2.0, but expect a great album nonetheless.
Nobody could have expected Underoath to return after such a long absence with a
Define the Great Line 2.0, especially after they admitted that
Disambiguation was as far as they could take the envelope musically. While it’s true that
Erase Me is the weakest of the band’s releases after
They’re Only Chasing Safety, it still provides an amazing entry point for new Underoath fans, as well as a reason for people who were never a fan to revisit older albums. With its stripped-back and direct approach, the material on Underoath’s latest album can alienate older fans while not overwhelming newcomers with the sheer complexity. I’ve known of Underoath since 2009 when I heard “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures” on Madden NFL 09. While that was a great song, I was unable to truly appreciate Underoath’s greatness until this album; the material of yesteryear was too overwhelming for my prepubescent ears, so paring the complexity back started a massive domino effect that’s too convoluted to explain here.
Lead single “On My Teeth” was the first sign that the ethos of Underoath had shifted; while still aggressive, the production had become more digital and the writing style had become a short burst of mania as opposed to the drawn-out, crushing atmosphere of past releases. The lyrics also take a step away from the existential poetry of
Disambiguation in favor of direct writing, attacking singer Spencer Chamberlain’s issues with drug addiction as well as Christianity. There’s no doubt that the lyricism has declined in quality, but that’s merely a consequence of taking a direct approach. Subsequent single “Rapture” further proved that a forthcoming change in sound was inevitable, working within a Sleepwave-esque style and improving it with drummer Aaron Gillespie’s input. Serving as a happy medium between the directness of “On My Teeth” and the poetry expressed on prior works, Spencer draws a comparison between hard drugs and being seduced by a lecherous woman in the chorus, but also alludes to his addictions leaving him with an emaciated appearance in the verses, with lines such as “That crooked tongue, so pale, so young” and “I'm skin and bones, pale as a ghost”.
The rest of the album follows suit, affirming the stylistic shift that singles “On My Teeth” and “Rapture” signaled. The band’s prominent flirtations with electronics, courtesy of keyboardist Christopher Dudley, adds to tracks like “No Frame”, “Sink With You”, and “It Has to Start Somewhere”, while the all-too-familiar radio-rock tropes allows the message of “Wake Me”, “ihateit”, and single “Rapture” to be delivered to a larger audience. “On My Teeth” is the heaviest track to be found within
Erase Me’s 40-minute runtime, but in comparison to other tracks, it comes off as rather shallow and uninteresting as a result of its simplicity. Albeit piano-driven closer “I Gave Up” does pale in comparison to previous closers in Underoath’s career, when you consider how masterful their prior closers were, that still leaves room for excellence. Spencer Chamberlain has a far more pronounced clean vocal presence than drummer Aaron Gillespie, and while that might be a turn-off for some, others may be more welcoming to that change; after all,
Disambiguation didn’t feature Aaron at all due to him leaving the band in early 2010.
One point of contention many have is with the production of
Erase Me. Notwithstanding, Matt Squire’s work here serves to accent the more industrial sound of the album fairly well. By moving Dudley’s synth work to the forefront, he helps to make it borderline unrecognizable to any other Underoath album. After all, the band’s motivations for this release were to push the boundaries of what is seen as “Underoath enough”, as well as prove themselves to be the most honest they have ever been as a band. According to Aaron Gillespie, “this is the healthiest we've ever been as a group of people, as musicians, and in our worldview.” Whether or not you miss the power struggle that brought us classics like
Define the Great Line or
Lost In the Sound of Separation, the fact that they’re in a better headspace now is a testament to how corrupted their minds were back when said classics were crafted, and a net positive for the band. Perhaps they will be able to reach classic status once again; only time will tell, but for now, this is what Underoath’s ethos represents. You can take it or leave it.
