Underoath Biography

Underoath, the Christian hardcore band that started in former vocalist Dallas Taylor's bedroom in Tampa, Florida, has proven that screamo music is not always satanic. In fact, it can sometimes be full of worship while at the same time aggressive and fierce-sounding, as the signature sound of Underoath has proven. The sextet currently consists of drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie, lead guitarist Tim McTague, vocalist Spencer Chamberlain, guitarist James Smith, keyboardist Christopher Dudley and bassist Grant Brandell, the six young men who have taken the punk metal genre and turned it into music with an underlying religious twist.The beginnings of Underoath were formed in 1998, but it wasn't until 1999 that the Christian rockers had scored a deal with the record label Alabama's Takehold. The original band's six-song debut Act of Depression was released in 1999, selling over 2,000 copies. 2000 led to the release of the five-song Cries of the Past, and under a switch in record labels to Seattle's Tooth & Nail/Solid State, Underoath recorded its longest release, a 10-song album titled The Changing of Times. The band played at the Warped Tour in 2003, but lead singer Taylor quit unexpectedly in the middle of the tour, leaving the band to publicly recoup. In 2004, however, Underoath continued on with a new lead singer, releasing the album They're Only Chasing Safety before touring with heavy metal bands Thrice, the Bled, Hopesfall and Fear Before the March of Flames.Continuing on with this pattern, Underoath headlined another 2006 tour with the angst-ridden bands Poison the Well and As Cities Burn before playing at the Warped Tour. Underoath interfered with the Warped Tour once again, however, when turmoil within the band broke out, but the group redeemed itself by coming back with the album Define the Great Line in 2006, which peaked all the way at number two on the Billboard charts.