Underoath forges on with no original members
The announcement on April 5 2010 that Aaron Gillespie had left his role as the drummer and clean vocalist of Underoath stunned the post-hardcore band’s fan base. Although rumours had been circulating for years that Gillespie might abandon the band he helped found to instead focus on the Almost — his new alt-rock side project — most listeners were naive enough to believe his assertion that both groups were “equally as important.”
On the same day the redheaded percussionist posted a blog entry to confirm the news. In it he wrote a sentence that has essentially served as a mission statement of sorts for the new Underoath: “People change times change and sometimes change just comes hunting for you.” Since the departure of Gillespie — who was the last original member of the band — Underoath has certainly undergone a dramatic metamorphosis.
Unlike albums in the past — such as the critically acclaimed Define the Great Line and Lost in the Sound of Separation — the Florida six-piece has pursued a more structured chorus-based style for their latest album Disambiguation . Songs such as “Paper Lung” exemplify such a development in addition to revealing the new singing role that Spencer Chamberlain — the band’s screamer — has adopted in the absence of Gillespie.
But Underoath has by no means ditched their aggressive past. Daniel Davison — the former drummer of Norma Jean — replaced Gillespie which immediately brought a dosage of aggression to the group’s sound. The new drummer’s style which he describes as being “not-so-poppy” compared to his predecessor favours toms over the snare in choruses giving the tracks a darker yet more accessible feel.
Although great expectations accompanied Davison to Underoath he says that the transition into his role has been smooth.
“At first I thought it might be a little overwhelming” he says. “But the way it worked out was really cool because I came in and it wasn’t as if we were touring and playing a bunch of old songs. It was more like we were writing a record and recording in a month.”
The style of music that Underoath has been exploring since the addition of Davison isn’t the only change the band has experienced. The expression of the band’s Christian faith — which has often been a source of conflict with other bands (see the incident with NOFX at the 2006 Warped Tour as an example) — has mellowed. In the days of They’re Only Chasing Safety Chamberlain would often deliver a passionate testimony to the crowd. Now Davison — who says that his personal faith isn’t as big a part of his life as it was when he was in Norma Jean — explains that Chamberlain has toned down on the preaching.
Tim McTague the band’s lead guitarist agrees. “At one point I felt more of a need to use the band as a ministry tool so to speak or to raise awareness about Christianity. Now it’s more of an artistic expression and a platform for us to express ourselves creatively rather than spiritually or faith-wise.”
Although the reasons for Gillespie’s decision to leave are still murky the former drummer’s recent endeavours may suggest that the new way the band was expressing its faith was a motivation. Since leaving the band Gillespie has recorded a worship album and partnered with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to put on “high-octane opportunities for youth leaders and the youth of your city to be the light in the darkness.”
Religious speak aside it’s fair to say that the biggest addition to Underoath with Davison’s entrance was that of a giant handlebar moustache. Unfortunately for fans he shaved it off in November. “Now I just have a big full beard” he says. “I like to mix it up. Whenever I get tired of it I’ll shave it but I always feel weird with a totally shaved face. That only lasted for a week or two and now I’ve been growing it for seven months.”
As Gillespie concluded in his departing blog post in 2010 “times change roll with the hurricane.”
