In 1999, the band was signed with Takehold Records and Scott Nunn was replaced by Aaron Gillipsie prior to the recordings. This is when Act of Depression first came to be.
1.) Act of Depression- While it only sold 1000 copies, this CD is nothing short of an excellent metalcore album dabbling in grindcore elements as well as melodic death metal. There was a hidden track titled "Spirit of a Living God" on this title, that was purely a worship song with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and vocals provided by Corey Stegar, and Dallas Taylor sharing his faith as well as saying a prayer in the song. An excellent album indeed.
Soon, underOATH released another album titled Cries of the Past which is when Chris Dudley ( underOATH's keyboardist, not to be confused by the NBA player
) stepped in and truly gave underOATH a unique sound.
2.) Cries of the Past- My personal favorite of the underOATH albums. The recorded quality is superior to the previous work, and the keyboards truly act as an excellent backround sound and the new guitarist Ocatvio certainly helped. This album also hosts my favorite track from them: "The Last."
You can hear songs prior to their third album here: http://www.myspace.com/dallastaylorowns
Soon, underOATH made their debut album that was the first to sell well titled The Changing of Times
3.)The Changing of Times- My second favorite album in which I find superior to Act of Depression. It contains their first hit single "When the Sun Sleeps". This was the first album in which Aaron Gillipsie had a vocal role which IMO affected his drumming, but regardless, in my mind, this album really flows nicely with the exception of their hit in which stands out. The band switched from metalcore to screamo which explains why this album is titled "The Changing of Times". I like this album alot yet I wish they stuck with their old stuff.
A music video for "When the Sun Sleeps" can be viewed here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFmVqunMIJU
Soon after, Dallas Taylor dropped from the band due to personal issues and was replaced by Spencer Chamberlain which changed the band's sound even further.
Spencer's presence in the band affected the band's image and style so much that I consider this new underOATH similar. The only thing that connects They're only Chasing Saftey to Act of Depression is the band name and the presence of Aaron.
4.) They're Only Chasing Saftey- This album doesn't stem that far from the previous album, but very different from the first two albums. Aaron and Spencer both have almost equal vocal-times which can make drum playing harder. Being a drummer, I see his weakest point of drum playing was this album because he was just getting used to singing alot (well, live at least, I can assume he recorded his voice seperatley from the drums). I find this to be the worst album with the name underOATH associated with it, but when NOT comparing it to previous work, it isn't a bad album at all. Just different. Plus, there's a treat for Copeland fans at track 10.
Then, this past year, they're newest release came to play:
5.) Define the Great Line- The new Underoath established a brand, new sound. I'd say this is a combo of the old and new style merged together that really works and Spencer's vocals are far less scratchy and he even deepens his voice like Dallas once did. The only song I didn't care for on this album was Writing on the Walls, plus it had a horrible music video.
Now that we have established the old from the new, discuss!
((For those who liked Dallas Taylor better than Spencer check out:
-The New Tragic
-Everette
-Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
(Source: Wikipedia)
