They're Only Chasing Safety

Once upon time there was a band called Underoath, they were playing the heaviest metalcore around. One day got tired and decided to shift away. And so, they lived happily ever after. End of the story.

If we have a look upon the year of this release, it dates back to 2004, once back when every single band on this planet was playing post-hardcore. There was post-hardcore, emo, and pop punk literally everywhere: in pubs, bars, supermarkets, hospitals, as elevator music, in discos, at rave parties, funerals, weddings... you were turning on the radio, the tv, and there were always these emo-screamo-pop punk bands on every single channel; even cartoons, talk shows or news had post-hardcore and pop punk songs as soundtrack or theme song (not joking! eg. Maximum the Hormone), as well as there was absolutely no videogame without, at least, a song of this style (From first to last, Billy Talent). So this genre has been the soundtrack of a decade, that - luckily, thank God - has passed away. Were Underoath following the trend? Were they "chasing more profits" in the same way as "they (I suppose the Government) were chasing safety at the time"? (curious fact, that the cover art and album title were prophetical of the 2020's pandemic). Probably. Who knows?

If they were sucking at the time, they were however doing it in a proper manner. Because, compared to the sea of shit in which we were suffocating once back when labels were devastating our ears with that shit, this album is excellent. This isn't absolutely Cries of the past, but at least is not Lostprophets or Thursday, because Underoath are talented and there's difference between wasting talent or not having it at all.

May ask why that vote, the reason is simple: this album is a giant sculpture covered in bird's shit, still standing over the decades, resisting to the recurrent vandalism, but still singing of its time like Today. They started for sure a chapter in their career, they've pursued a new path, and the fact that this album drives nuts the most orthodox metalheads, makes this even more enjoyable. I don't really care if this isn't "true" at all, if they are "posers", if they aren't part of the "scene", because there's nothing worse than pursuing a label, especially from a generation who has bitched and whined for a long-time for being labelled or put under categories. Music and creativity have no boundaries, and this fascist manichaeism is absolutely detrimental. So I kindly welcome and appreciate those bands who have the courage to explore new territories and start new adventure, like Ulver or Manes.

This album was made to his era accordingly, with a far better production of most albums of this wave. The solutions are interesting, melodies are catchy, it's clearly commercial but undeniably a step above the works of their colleagues. Let's stick to the fact others were copying their homework, because Underoath are talented musicians, who can actually play an instrument: their live performances prove this, the composition of even this album is at the same level of their albums. So metal or not, it doesn't matter: if you're good, you do things in a good way.

No one here is saying this is perfect, because there are flaws and it's some kind of trivial if compared to the overall rock music universe, but musicians are people like us who have their background and pack of experiences and references. The album connects back to the roots of the genre, back in the days when emo was still a borderline mixture of post-hardcore and college rock. Songs such as Young and Aspiring, The Impact of Reasons and I'm content with losing are absolutely enjoyable and seem more played by a band like Funeral for a Friend or You and Me at Six, rather than by the same one who 4 years before made a blackened deathcore album. Don't even give much importance about the lyric content which is quite juvenile and predictable, not because it's religious inspired - the majority of the art is, just look at the paintings of Caravaggio and Raffaello - but it's simply because are pathetic and vacuous.

Not clearly for everyone, but somewhat good in its own way. Maybe "so bad it's good" for some of us, but we cannot forget those days which we were playing at the console and listening to it. And to feel nostalgic is absolutely part of our nature.