It feels like yesterday we got the news that post-hardcore powerhouse Underoath was releasing Erase Me in 2018, the first album since reuniting in 2016. Three albums into this era, the band has been on par with what we have come to expect with each record not being like the previous. Erase Me leaned more into a hard rock experimental sound while Voyeurist returned back to some of the darker and heavier elements along with being the first album that was produced all in-house.
Each of the previous records also had internal issues starting with drummer/singer Aaron Gillespie stating he felt like the new guy in the band since writing with them for the first time since Lost In The Sound of Separation, their 2008 release before Gillespie left the band in 2009. He felt like he couldn’t contribute much with his ideas on Erase Me which boiled over into Voyeurist into a moment they call the “White Claw” night where things were hashed out. The Place After This One accumulates everything into one album that frontman Spencer Chamberlain has said has him feeling like they did something special, the first time he’s felt that way since 2006’s Define The Great Line.
The Songs On This One
Regarding the themes and idea behind the album and its name, guitarist Tim McTague says “The Place After This One is a multi-faceted idea. The fact that we grew up so sheltered and spiritual, and are trying to reconcile how we grew up against what we see now in the new age. Underoath, albeit intact and the same, is simultaneously so different. Our band has gone through a lot of chaos. I think there’s something beautiful about the idea of not just abandoning everything when things get weird. Whether it be your faith, or your band, or your marriage, or your relationships. The idea that there is a place after this one, even if it’s with the same people or it’s with the same God, or it’s with the same town. Things compound when it’s good, and you just cut out the things that are bad.”
Generation No Surrender opens the album up with that classic intensity we have come to know from Underoath. The song has a punk rock anthemic feeling with the verses in the vocals, still on the fence about the protest-like chants. The silence and ambiance before the breakdown cause some anxiousness waiting for one of the heaviest moments in the band’s discography.
Devil is the first song to feature Gillespie’s vocals trading moments with Spencer in the opening verse, the lead into the chorus has an electronic ambient vibe with a vocoder. The chorus is mellow, which makes you want more from it, before the break into the second verse and the bridge is very percussive with Gillespie doing harsh vocals for the first time since The Changing of Times. The song brings back more of the protest-like chants which is the one thing within the record so far I could do without.
Vocally, this album leans into a more punk rock cadence throughout almost mixing Rise Against with Fever 333 type of delivery which is all over the hook in Loss. The chorus is pretty catchy as well It could get stuck in your head. It features another breakdown for the bridge which is a welcome moment from Underoath who wouldn’t implement them as much in past releases. Survivor’s Guilt and All The Love Is Gone follow back to back which brings in a sense of familiarity for two songs because of their release as singles. Each one has soaring hooks that could easily find their time on the radio being accessible for new fans. These songs are textbook what singles for an album should be and the horrorcore type rapping on the intro to All The Love Is Gone is something unique and cool to Underoath.
And Then There Was Nothing is for all the old Underoath fans who haven’t enjoyed their newer material, this is probably the most they’ve been like some of their older works laying down one of the heaviest songs they’ve ever done. One of the few in their catalog that does not feature any sort of singing and reminds me of some of I Don’t Feel Very Receptive Today from They’re Only Chasing Safety but with a heavier sound and Spencer having more brutality in his vocals. This song may end up being a modern fan favorite
On the contrary, Teeth was not initially one fans were receptive to when it was released as the first single of the album. It does stand out to me as one of the best songs they have done, definitely one of my personal favorites on the album. The electronic and dark pop elements with their spin on it just hit in the right ways for fans of alt-pop music. If you’re into Spencer’s side project Slo/Tide, it leans into that style some with the Underoath twist and flavor, it does sit well within the record sort of bridging the first half and second.
The record seems to take shape in two parts after Teeth, the first half is more of a loud aggressive piece that seems to be pushing a message and begging for others to listen while the second portion tends to lean more vulnerable and experimental with riffs sort of reflecting back to others in the first half. Shame leans into the more autotune/vocoder elements which again for this band is nice to hear more genre fusing without compromising who they are while Spinning in Place is one of the more emotionally heavy-sounding songs on the record within the mellow moments and the hard moments hit hard, so much so that within the cleaner moments in the verses the guitars are chugging under them. Fans of the dueling vocals between Aaron and Spencer will enjoy the trade-off moments in this song.
Vultures was one of the more curious songs I was intrigued to hear because of the feature from Troy Sanders. I was never a huge Mastodon fan but his vocals and part fit very well within the song. It has an overall very bouncy and gritty feel that will be even better live while Cannibal brings back that Rise Against comparison with the hook while the bridge has a very vulnerable feel to it pushing into a scream.
Outsider was at the top of the list of songs wanting to hear after seeing videos of them performing this song under the Locus Ultra name and it did not disappoint. Beautiful electronic soundscapes and soaring guitar with pop vocal deliveries blend together so seamlessly to create a hauntingly beautiful vibe. As the closing track it certainly does stand out on its own within the album, personally have it as a top-ranked song.
The Rating Before The Next One: 8.8/10
The production is certainly cleaner than Voyuerist which is what held that record back. It’s a record that truly feels like it has a double side to it as the album swells into the heaviest moment And Then There Was Nothing before slowly and gradually fading off into the closing track Outsider.
The Place After This One has something for everyone who enjoys the band and the various styles they have done during their career with very few things holding it back such as the megaphone-sounding moments and protest chants. Time will only tell where it sits in their discography but it says a lot when 20+ years into a creative career you can still make some of your best work to date.
