Breath of Fresh Air

This past week Florida metalcore outfit, Underoath has released their long-awaited album, Ø (Disambiguation). This will mark the first album without drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillepie, the last remaining original member of the band. With Gillepie's departure, this meant big changes and new musical opportunities for the band. First, they enlisted an old friend of theirs, Daniel Davidson, formerly of the metalcore powerhouse Norma Jean to man the kits. Second and perhaps the band's biggest challenge is Spencer Chamberlain taking complete control of all songwriting and vocal responsibilities. With these changes, creates a whole new dynamic to their music.


In listening to Ø (Disambiguation), their sound is sounds more refined and much cleaner than their previous works. The pop dynamic (very slight) that Gillispie normally brings to their music was immediately replaced with electronic sounds and ambient touches. The combination of heavy and atmospheric creates a whole new dyanamic to their sound that be describled as both strong and beautiful. As for Spencer Chamberlain, he has truly shined on this record. In being able to carry out the duties of both songwriting and singing all on his own, he has more control and more freedom to express himself. This makes Chamberlain a force to be reckon with. His melodic and screaming vocals are extremely superb and his songwriting is much more focused. This is truly Spencer Chamberlain's record.

"Paper Lung" by Underoath by Future Phonograph

Overall, this album is a breath of fresh air for Underoath and marks the next stage in their evolution as a band. I highly recommend giving this album a listen. You can really appreciate how far Underoath has come as a band. On a closing note, I give you my favorite track on the record, "Paper Lung" for your listening pleasure. I'm sure you will enjoy it.