Inevitably there’s an album or two or three in a given year that we had no idea was coming. Either it’s something so soon following a recent release or honestly, something that was teased but we completely missed the signs. Whatever the case is here, we’re happy to be not in the know and pleasantly surprised when it came to what Underoath was cooking with their 10th full-length, The Place After This One.
Chances are you’ve heard a few of the tracks on here already but, even as a preview of what’s to come on TPATO, you still have no idea what’s coming. “Generation No Surrender” is just brutal and the perfect set up in a long line of ferocious album openers as “Devil” drops by next and doesn’t really dial it down much either. Vocalist Spencer Chamberlain’s range goes off here, running through an arc if you will in this one and throughout the new record yielding some of the most melodious stuff Underoath has laid down as well as the heaviest with Aaron Gillespie’s drumming and vocals adding an emotional heft.
“Loss” is equally gargantuan and frenetic, entering at ludicrous speeds towards a chorus that goes HARD. If we were to even dare to compare what the “sound” of this particular record is it’d be somewhere between 2018’s comeback Erase Me and the raw power of 2008’s Lost In The Sound Of Separation, all of which are represented here but still barely scratches the surface of what’s going on as a whole. Next in the queue, “Survivor’s Guilt” is built off a complex time signature and a supreme Gillespie percussive throttling with another catchy chorus. There’s definitely a reason why Spencer Chamberlain is quoted as saying “I feel like I could talk for hours about our new album, but I truly do believe this is the start of the next chapter for Underoath. This begins the next 20 years.” in the TPATO press release and with a song like “Survivor’s Guilt” as an example it’s hard to disagree with that statement.
And did we mention guitar heavy? Because TPATO definitely is that with Tim McTague’s shreds and Grant Brandell’s low end rumbling running rampant throughout the new effort. Elsewhere, “All The Love Is Gone” is a sprawling clusterfuck of fanciful choruses, synthetic atmosphere from Chris Dudley and an overall glorious heaviness that completely envelops all while “Fuck you, I’m enough!” is a new mantra and then some as Chamberlain screams it repeatedly during “And Then There Was Nothing”.
“Teeth” is the first one to (sort of) let up at all in terms of brute force with Dudley’s programming at the forefront and then “Shame” sounds like “classic” Underoath with modern flourishes and some killer soon-to-be crowd interaction moments with Chamberlain screaming “Everybody, everybody on your knees!”. “Spinning in Place” is a riff riot and an all around ruckus from McTague, Gillespie, and Brandell before Mastodon’s Troy Sanders drops by for “Vultures” and a badass chorus befitting the bassist/singer of the Atlanta Metal maestros. “Cannibal” is an interesting one with the Chamberlain/Gillespie vocal interplay and McTague’s righteous riffage switching between some peak mid-’00’s Emo and just a full on Metal wall of sound with “Outsider” closing out Uneroath’s new chapter with Gillespie’s piano and Dudley’s sonic landscapes setting the stage during this moody album ender.
The Place After This One arrives on March 28th through MNRK Heavy and you can pre-order/pre-save your copy by heading here or to the stream below. For more from Underoath, including ALL the spots to catch them throughout the year live (There’s a LOT of dates already) like with Papa Roach and Rise Against on September 14th at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield (The only MA date currently), head to the socials by clicking here, here, or here.