Having been around since 1997, Underoath can easily be recognized as one of the pioneers that made Metalcore popular. But with the departure of their last founding member, Aaron Gillespie, whom many dub as the “heart of the band”, there has been much concern if the new album Ø (Disambiguation) will live up to fans’ expectations.

This is understandable since the former drummer, who has left to pursuer other endeavours, wrote majority of the band’s lyrics and shared singing responsibilities with front man Spencer Chamberlain. His energetic and unique drumming style coupled with his melodious singing voice truly made him an asset to the band.

In spite of these fears, Underoath has definitely produced some of their best music in their seventh studio album, following up from their Grammy-Nominated 2008 album, Lost in the Sound of Separation.

Ø (Disambiguation) sees former Norma Jean drummer, Daniel Davison, on drums and Chamberlain taking up all of Gillespie’s relinquished singing and writing duties.

This gave Chamberlain full ascendancy over the vocals and it’s noticeable that the added creative control lets him set the mood for the entire album with his aggressive screams and somewhat melancholic singing.

“In Division” and “Catch Myself Catching Myself” are good examples to sum up the generic feel of the entire album – dark, chaotic, yet strangely heart-warming.

Keyboardist Christopher Dudley also did really well in reinforcing the darkness in Chamberlain’s vocals using synthesizer parts that add to the entire sombre mood, without overpowering the songs.

The only possible let down was Davison’s drumming which isn’t to say that it was bad. In fact, he did a tremendous job crafting his own style and he offered some groovy drumbeats in “Vacant Mouth”. His style however, doesn’t seem to complement the band’s music as well as Gillespie’s, no surprise really, as he had been drumming for the band for 11 years.

Other noticeable tracks on the album include “My Deteriorating Incline” and the album’s closing song, “In Completion”, which was slower and more delicate compared with the rest of the songs that would account for making this album their heaviest thus far.

Some fans will be disappointed in their change of direction, but if you can look beyond that, the album offers 11 tracks of powerful music that gives listeners a sense of struggle and hope at the same time. It’s akin to the feeling you get when you see a light at the end of the tunnel.

While the album is clearly not the same Underoath that we have grown to love, Ø (Disambiguation) is definitely a bold statement made to assure fans that the band has not crumbled under the loss of their former drummer.

Aaron Gillespie summed it up well when he said on his blog the day of his departure, “People change, times change, and sometimes change just comes hunting for you.”

Artist: Underoath

Album: Ø (Disambiguation)

Rating: ★★★★✩

Language: English

Genre: Metalcore

Release Date: November 9, 2010

Track list:

1.             “In Division”

2.             “Catch Myself Catching Myself”

3.             “Paper Lung”

4.             “Illuminator”

5.             “Driftwood”

6.             “A Divine Eradication”

7.             “Who Will Guard the Guardians?”

8.             “Reversal”

9.             “Vacant Mouth”

10.             “My Deteriorating Incline”

11.             “In Completion”