Customer Reviews

Define the Great Line (CD & DVD)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Define The Great Line" is the culmination of everything Underoath began building upon way back when they released their now infamous debut "Act Of Depression." With the mainstream success the band achieved with their previous record ("They're Only Chasing Safety") the pressure to write a record of this sort must have been monsterous. How do you follow the album of your career? Well if there was ever any pressure on Underoath writing this record, one would never know it. The outcome is a furious onslaught of metal, hardcore and screamo that most bands in the same genre can't even contend with. For the older Underoath fans who cried "sellout!" when TOCS hit the airwaves, prepare to be amazed because the band has brought back plenty of their heavier elements, while still keeping the same melodic sensibility that made them so popular with their last outing. "Define The Great Line" is undoubtably destined for good things in 2006.

If anyone is still crying "Underoath went soft" after the first seconds of "In Regards To Myself" (which sounds like some sort of Norma Jean meets As Cities Burn monstrosity), then I have to question what indeed is the definition of "soft?" "Define The Great Line" is a record that truly brings together every single piece of Underoath's sound. The melodic side. The aggressive. The Emotional. Every spectrum of sound is covered. It's almost as if they went back and took a little bit from every single album they've put out, and just created one giant masterpiece.

So enough of the high praise. I can just tell you flat out, this album is golden. No matter when you became an Underoath fan, you're going to like this record. It has everything. Blistering, heavy hitters like "In Regards To Myself" and "Everyone Looks So Good From Here" sound like they could have easily came from the pre-"Changing Of Times" Era and will satisfy any older fan. There's melodic pieces to be discovered in the first single "Writing On The Walls" and "You're So Inviting". "Casting Such A Thin Shadow" and "To Whom It May Concern" are both slow, driving (and yet distinctly heavy) tracks that show the range that Underoath is able to pull off. And the remaining tracks? Every single one more or less combines those previously mentioned areas, just in a much better way (Check "Moving For The Sake Of Motion" and "Returning Empty Handed" for proof, they're the albums two best tracks.)

The band is of course in top form for "Define The Great Line". Spencer has grown so much as a screamer since the last time around, it's amazing. His scream sounds like a mix of his days back in This Runs Through (his previous band) and his debut on "They're Only Chasing Safety". This means he can reach down for those ultra deep bellows, and then instantly hit the high shrieks that everyone now knows him for. Aaron has also gotten much better as the melodic vocalist. His parts aren't annoying or overbearing in the slightest as they sometimes were in the past. Instead every time he sings, it adds to the song. He also pounds aways on the drums like he was known for before "They're Only Chasing Safety." Tim and James have created plenty of interesting riffs that will leave most wondering, "Who? What?" after every moment. They pulvarize one second, then slip into tight breakdowns, only to transform to slow melodies the next second. And Chris' keyboards actually add more depth to the songs then they ever had, and make him actually more of an important element than he's ever been before.

The most impressive thing about the record and the musicianship this time around though has got to be how the band has gone back to the more progressive song writing structures which they used to be known for. This time around the tracks aren't oversaturated with hooks and catchy choruses. Instead we get to see how truly skilled musicians and song writers Underoath really are. The songs don't follow any particular pattern, and instead of feeling like just a repetition of stale parts, every song is unique and individual (And trust me, no two sound alike.)

"Define The Great Line" is absolutely the must listen of 2006. No matter when you became a fan, or what you're stance of musical style is. There is something on here to please everyone. This may be a bold statement, but I truly believe this is Underoath's best album to date (and I previously thought "Cries Of The Past" was). I cannot urge you enough to listen to this album. And if you can, do it as soon as possible, it's worth it. Underoath have truly become a powerhouse in the Christian heavy music world (not that they weren't already) with this record, and I guarantee this is one of the 5 best metal/hardcore albums you'll hear all year. "What are you so afraid of?" Get this album immediately.

It's difficult not to sound the slightest bit overzealous when reviewing this album, because let's face it, it's good. Very good.

Let's go back for a second. They're Only Chasing Safety...Underoath unavoidably set a standard for themselves and fans alike, the only concern following that release was, how in the hell are they going to top themselves, let alone be reinventive in a fast-deteriorating genre filled with hopeless lyrical "insight" and overproduced material that generates undeserved attention.

We all fear a band like this selling out big time and becoming the next casualty to mainstream, essentially supressing any notion of talent these guys actually have. Fortunate for us however, they shattered their own conception of hardcore/screamo (whatever you wanna call it), and produced this fine piece of work that almost qualifies on the boundary of a concept album.

Define The Great Line is what happens when you realize that moving backwards is necessary to move forward. The songwriting is stronger, the technical composition is far more unearthed and complex than any of us could have imagined. The level of experimental elements is no match for The Changing Of Times, though it comes damn close with lenghty interludes and instrumentals that serve siginificant purposes found in the meat of the album.

UO is becoming increasingly sharper with their craft, which is far more than most bands out there could say. They've taken the road less traveled in order to push their sound into a theamatic/cinematic state with intelligent songwriting (ie: Thrice, Thursday) that requires more than just a glance at the liner notes. Define The Great Line is certainly not your average disposal-worthy "screamo" record, it strikes at the heart of an ailing genere of music that's bound to collapse. UO has undoubetly accomplished something that has the balls to contend as their most accomplished masterpiece to date. Kudos to these
guys for monumentally exceeding the expectations, this is what a follow-up to an album like TOCS should and ought to sound like.


Personal Picks:
- In Regards To Myself
- You're Ever So Inviting
- Returning Empty Handed
- Casting Such A Thin Shadow
- Everyone Looks So Good From Here

"Oh God, everything, everything..." on this album is amazing! Now, I won't lie, I'm one of the later Underoath fans that first heard of them after their release of "They're Only Chasing Safety" back in 2004, then picking up their earlier releases like The Changing of Times and Act of Depression. But of course, then I wasn't the biggest fan of hardcore either. As my taste in music matured and expanded, I realized that there are so many sounds that run parallel with each other, creating a stagnant infamous world we refer to as the scene. What I learned with Underoath themselves is that even in this faceless tastless "scene", there still is that one band that stands out from the rest. The one band that refuses to cave in to this emo/screamo phase that plagues everyone into standardizing everything that everyone else listens to. Underoath is indeed that band, and they displayed just that on "Define the Great Line".

Adam D, shredding guitarist of Killswitch Engage and part-time producer was co-producer along with Matt Goldman who produced They're Only Chasing Safety. With Adam D as their selection for producer, I knew right away that Underoath was serious about creating a more metal sound, and along with the security of having a familiar face in the studio with Goldman; the pressure was on for Underoath to record a masterpiece. No matter what, after "They're Only Chasing Safety" selling over 350,000 copies which is huge for an indie album, "Define" was going to hit big numbers, but to the delight of most fans, especially those more into the heavy side of Underoath, they've exceeded expectations of others and mine.

From front to back, this album just unveils brutal yet subtle guitar riffs, varying vocals with occasional melodic hooks, innovative electronic effects, and YES, the return of the double bass drum which altogether makes for a superior album that you won't take out of your CD player for at least a week. "Define" is so surprisingly heavy and catchy that once you pick it up, you won't put it down. Trust me, this CD is currently owning my stereo system right now. The first song "In Regards to Myself" is a pleasant surprise; a reminiscence of new Norma Jean right from the beginning. Right after this song, it's easy to figure out that "Define" is as heavy as they come; much heavier than you might expect. Believe me, "It's all worth reaching for." If you have watched the Bonus DVD with TOCS, Tim (guitar) mentioned in his personal interview that the album is going to be much more metal than TOCS. Of course, many members of hardcore bands say that their album is going to be heavy to avoid added tension, but most of the time they cave in to the scene. Underoath ignored the pressure to create one of the greatest albums of all time.

Although every song hits hard, with the exception of the slow electronic verses they tried with number five "Salamir" and number seven "Casting such a Thin Shadow", my personal favorite has to be number ten "Everyone Looks so Good from Here". This song gets your heart beating faster right from the start booming out a ridiculously heavy verse and a sick breakdown at about 1:40.

If you liked both the music of "The Changing of Times" and the vocals and electronic innovation of "They're Only Chasing Safety", then buy the album immediately, please, you will NOT be disappointed. Just be on your guard, you might just crap your pants.

This record far surpasses any of their other releases, and has showed that their music has matured so much since aod and cotp. Im glad spencer decided to use his lower screams in this album more, it remindes me of his old band this runs through. The only complaint i have about this album is how the middle of the cd drops any momentum it had and throws in 2 songs that bore the crap outa me. Other than that is pretty good!

After Reading about Underoathn in AP, I became slightly interested in them. Then, at Warped Tour, I saw their live performance. I was extremely impressed by their extraordinary emotional, yet tight live performance.

I promptly bought "Define...". The album was exactly what I expected. Heavy, yet not heavy metal. Classifying this cd is hard. It isnt metalcore, it isnt really hardcore, but it is more than screamo or post-hardcore. But the important thing is, whatever genre this is, it will definately rock you to your bone.

Many bands lose too much of their energy on their recordings. Underoath loses nothing. Each song oozes with emotion and intensity, and with better lyrics than the average band. I am not christian, but I can respect that Underoath sings about more than girls and friendships gone bad.

The opener, in regards to myself, sets the pace for the album. After this song, there are no breaks until Salamarnir. Salamarnir is a cool track, but not my favorite song on the cd. But the album bounces right back, with Returning empty handed, which is a heavy track with really cool guitar. "Casting Such a thin shadow" isnt as heavy, but offers a great edge of desperation aspect, if tha makes any sense. Moving for the Sake of Motion is a great song. One of my favorites. It is Fast, hard and well put together. "Writing on the Walls" is the single from the album, but dont let that fool you. It is not a poppy song at all. It has great guitar and good screaming, a good singing-screaming duet. Everyone looks So Good From Here is one of the heaviest tracks on the album, with a lot of screaming and heavy riffage. A great song. The finale, "To Whom it May COncern" is a slow, perfect closer... right up to about 3:00 where it gets harder, and then softer again for the remainder of the song. the guitar in this song is perfect for the closing track. Overall, a perfect way to close the cd.

I respect the effort that Underoath puit into this cd, with it's highly technical aspects, as well as it's pure energy. This is definatly one of my top 10 albums, and it even mgith be top 5. Everyone who is into this sort of music should check out this disc.

-peace

Crafted with the help of Atlanta-based producer/drummer Matt Goldman - who helped pour the rhythmic foundation - and Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz - who lent his experience to help capture the guitars and vocals and encouraged these Warped Tour veterans to use E-bows, reel bows and experiment with delays and effects pedals - the resulting DEFINE THE GREAT LINE is a mind-blowing song-cycle that resets the notion of what hardcore, screamo or whatever you want to call it, can be.

from start to finish this cd delivers a punch to the mouth with heavier sound than the last cd

all togther the emotion compacted in this cd is abolutly amazing and no one can compare/compete with this album

10/10 hands down

This cd is completely perfect, in all aspects. The only problem people will have with it, is they think it will be "theyre only chasing safety" round 2. and believe me, they arent anymore. They are trying to break the trend of every band sounding the same, and they did..... crazy riffs, some diff. break downs, still enough singing, and lots of deep screams! ammazzzzing!

1. In Regards To Myself:
perfect beginning, lots of high to lows, amazing song

2. A Moment Suspended In Time: more like old underoath, but better, A LOT better.

3. There Could Be Nothing After This: Bomb song, its kind of weird, but good.

4. You're Ever So Inviting: Upbeat song, Aaron sings cool in it.

5. Salmarnir: break from music, like a filler but its 3 minutes and has a cool guy speaking icelandic

6. Returning Empty Handed: Heavy! so good, one of the best

7. Casting Such A Thin Shadow: instrumental for most song then spencer screams, overall, its a relaxing song, and its perfect

8. Moving For The Sake Of Motion: Aaron busts some double bass haha, this could be my fav. its fast, and so good, ending breakdown is goood.

9. Writings On The Wall: this one is diff. from rest. its amazing, the whole ending from slow to fast is killer. this is the song that most people will love

10. Everyone Looks So Good From Here: this is the song everyone will hate, except the people into the harder stuff. By the way, Its so Crazy! heaviest song, all spee, and its crazy. i saw a livev vid where he broke the mic stand and was hitting cymbals with his mic, this songs is intense.

11. To Whom It May Concern: Slower, then screaming, very good way to end this cd, especially after the last song.

All in all, its perfect. i love every song and im addicted to it. Its heavy, its still underoath though. their are parts where you will be surprised, this isnt their only chasing safety, or the changing of times. this is UnderOath how it should be, its perfect.

I have listened to Underoath since they released Cries of the past when they had Dallas. The one thing that they have done and continue to do through their new album is keep things fresh. they do not write the same album twice like a lot of bands tend to do after they become fairly successful. You can tell they put a lot of time into this album considering it took them nearly 2 years to complete.

Another thing about this album that a liked was how it was very well produced yet still has a very raw sound. I happen to also think when compared to "They're Only Chasing Safey" that the screamer Spencer is more diverse with his screams going from a high squeeling scream to a low growl. On TOCS he only does the high squelling scream on every song. I am a big fan of singing in any song and I love the way Aaron mixed in his soft but also at times harsh vocals. The fact that he plays the drums live while singing blows my mind.

If you havent heard the album, you should at least check it out. It is not your typical "Screamo" album as some have dubbed it to be. (those ppl have not heard screamo) This album fuses rock/post hardcore/progressive.

at first i wasn't so sure about this album. all the songs seemed to blend together and i had a hard time differentiating them. and when i started to hear those oh too common riffs that sounded a little bit too much like norma jean and every other wanna be metalcore band, i started too worry.

but after a few listens i was like "wow, this is a really good album." underoath is one of the only bands that can pull of the singing/screaming thing and make it flow so well (they do it so much better than bands like Demon Hunter and Haste The Day). it's also amazing how they can blend so many different kinds of music into one album. i hear everything from norma jean, beloved, as cities burn, and even isis (just to name a few). like i said, in general i don't care too much for those norma jeanish riffs. but they make it fit into their music so well that it just flows. one thing i am glad of is that they have only one "real breakdown." it wouldn't fit them to have more.

fans of "they're only chasing safety" may not appreciate this album as much. it's much heavier and much more raw, yet they still manage to keep their melody, singing, and soft parts. without that, it would not be the same old underoath. it'll help to keep some of their old fans.

one of coolest things about this band is that they change up their music every album. they never stick to the same formula, and i really respect that. with the success of "they're only chasing safety" this would have been the time to stick to that style or ever go softer for more publicity. but no, they went just the opposite, which i think is awesome. props to them for being ballsy and going even heavier.

pick up this album and don't judge it on first listen. it may take some time to get used to. once you do, it's killer.

I'm not here to write some huge review that will take you forever to read so i'm gonna make this short and sweet. This album is the definiton of perfection.

"They're Only Chasing Safety" didn't really do much for me and I was afraid this album was going to sound a lot like that one. I was completely wrong. However, people who are looking for another "They're Only Chasing Safety" are going to be disapointed. This album easily puts their previous one to shame. There isn't one song on this album that I can say I don't like. Aaron's drums are amazing and Spencer's screams are so much more deep and he really uses the full range of his voice. The thought of giving this cd anything less than five stars is completely crazy. Oh and if you cant decide to get the special edition with the bonus dvd just do it. The dvd was easily worth the little extra money.