Underoath has ended their hiatus and reunited to form their eighth studio album “Erase Me.” Produced by Fearless Records, this album recounts events in which the human soul grapples with different religious ideology. “Erase Me” has been long awaited for hardcore Underoath fans, however, this album cannot be compared to their past work such as “Define the Great Line” or “They’re Only Chasing Safety.”
This is due to the band fusing more lyrics involving religion alongside repetitive music that makes it difficult to distinguish one track from another. The success of this album is far greater than when the group disbanded eight years ago and formed “Sleepwave,” however once again this is not the same Underoath that was around during the early 2000’s.
The introduction track, “It Has to Start Somewhere” begins with a distant drum beat and leads into a pounding guitar and bass. This track essentially lays the framework for what the listener can expect from this album.
Lyrics screamed by vocalist Spencer Chamberlain, “You’ve done me wrong” and “Please God give me a chance” sum up this album pretty well. This album presents countless examples of someone harming the lyricist, and their relationship with a monotheistic God.
“Rapture” and “On My Teeth” sound super similar to the first track, and do not give any different perspectives on the hurt that the lyricist feels in their life. According to iTunes, these two tracks are the “best” on the album and I have to disagree. Although I’m sure that others enjoy this repetitive Marilyn Manson-esque guitar blaring through their speakers, I feel like each song needs more work.
“Rapture” uses a basic verse-chorus structure and the lyrics are not super deep or complicated to figure out. “On My Teeth” repeats this structure with Chamberlain screaming lyrics about how once again someone has done something wrong to him.
My favorite tracks on this album are “Ihateit” and “Hold Your Breath.” These tracks lead into one another and because of this, Underoath is able to grab the listener’s attention.
“Ihateit” begins with a soft synthesizer and flows into Chamberlain singing about how he hates the fact that he loves how much someone abuses him. The chorus “You’re the only thing that gets me high and I hate it” (along with the 'whoa's' in the background) are super catchy and left me humming the song long after it ended.
“Hold Your Breath” follows “Ihateit” and uses its momentum to carry the listener through a rollercoaster-like song. Chamberlain screams “Alone at the top of the world” unaccompanied by the rest of the band’s instruments, and soon afterward the rest of the band comes in creating a sound similar to going over the top of a hill and flying downward.
I am super happy that Underoath has reunited, however, I wish they had brought more to the table for this album. For me, the best tracks on this album are guilty pleasures because they do not bring too much to the table lyrically, or musically. I am guilty of falling for Chamberlain’s catchy lyrics and basic song structure.
It is very difficult to relate this Underoath album with their prior material due to their previous material experimenting with different musical styles, whereas this album remained in a safe monotoned state.
“Erase Me” received a soft 6 out of 10 and I would only buy this album on vinyl if the band stated that this would be their last pressing. Old Underoath albums are hard to come by on vinyl (or are dumb expensive) and anyone that has grown up with this band needs to have at least one of their albums in their collection.
