The zeitgeist of heavy music has grown and matured in synchronicity with its once rabid fan base. No longer will first generation acts like Underoath garner the same Beatles-rivaling fan intensity as 14-year-old girl’s scream literally and figuratively as these hardcore pop acts dance around on stage. And according to Underoath guitarist Tim McTague, that’s just fine with them.  

The band has released their latest record, Disambiguation, a rather interesting title that is prefaced by their trademark “Ø” that has become a logo of sorts for the band. It marks the first album over the band’s career that is without its last founding member, ex-drummer Aaron Gillespie. McTague, who handles guitar work, as well as clean (read: sans scream) vocals, is quite alright with this situation.

“Aaron wanted to take the music in a different direction. We’re a democratic band; if five members want to go one way, we won’t be held back by the sixth,” he says.

The departure of the band’s last founding member has shaped its latest release into a more coherent sound that is at once more mature and less polished. This is a band that has grown up over the years, and while the sound is most certainly different than their more pop-oriented records prior, it’s a natural evolution that seems to represent that of many bands of late.

McTague seems to speak of the departure of Gillespie as almost a kind of weight off their chests. The band was able to really cut loose and make the record they had been wanting to make for some time now.

Mc Tague confirms, “We got to make the album we always wanted to make.”

Underoath gained a rabid underground following of Hot Topic-obsessed youth around 2005, following the release of They’re Only Chasing Safety. McTague seems nostalgic but almost embarrassed of the record, noting that it represented the driving force of Gillespie’s pop sensibilities when it came to the band’s music. There is no denying the importance of the record.

“It’s something that will never be replicated. The crowds have changed and grown as our music has. We no longer have the Beatles effect with screaming 14-year-olds, and that’s just fine with us,” he says.

It was immediately evident that McTague was very happy with their latest record.  

“It’s like going to an art show. This is what we have to offer, if you like it awesome, if not that’s fine with us, too.”

While McTague notes that they at once did have some studio pressure to churn out paint-by-numbers emo music, notably following the release of They’re Only Chasing Safety, the label seems confident in the band’s image.

“They let us do whatever we want,” notes McTague, in regards to the release of Disambiguation.

This sense of veritable disdain for the band’s catchier sing-along tracks is evident in the band’s live performances as well.

“It’s not just about running around and singing anymore,” says McTague. “We’ve got some lighting and visuals this time, and we want to make it more of a performance.”

While it’s uncertain if Roger Waters will have to worry, it’s commendable to see a band put emphasis on the audio/visual element of a performance instead of just jumping around and screaming.  

The band is on a winter tour with similar scene veterans Thursday, who eschew Underoath’s don’t-look-back mentality as they play their 2001 hallmark record, Full Collapse, in its entirety. A Skylit Drive and Animals As Leaders open for the duo on the nationwide tour, which hits Los Angeles at the House of Blues Jan. 26 and Anaheim Jan. 27.

It’s doubtful the band will regain any of the previous decade’s mass influx of fans. By now you are either a fan, or you’re not. The sound, while evolved, is still Underoath, for better or worse. What can be said is that few groups have actively chosen to stick to their guns like these guys. They are making the music that they, not you, want, and the active desire to please everyone has long subsided. Shameless, mature and impressively confident, Underoath has become a product of the times instead of one of the past.



Ø (Disambiguation) is currently available. Underoath performs Jan. 26 at the House of Blues Sunset Strip and Jan. 27 at the House of Blues Anaheim. For more information, visit underoath777.com.