In 2005 I discovered the album “They’re Only Chasing Safety.” I had listened to bands like Linkin Park and Hawthorne Heights, but hadn’t heard something quite as heavy as the band Underoath. A girl a few grades above me told me about them and wanting to fit in I’m sure, I found a copy of their album.
At first, some of it literally gave me a headache, but as I listened to it more, I fell in love. Underoath became my favorite band and to this day, are still one of my absolute favorites.
Their drummer, who is also their clean vocalist and founding member had left the band somewhere around 2009 or 10. I remember he shared on myspace that his last show would be in Milan, Italy. Aaron Gillespie, I know without a doubt was so many of the fan’s favorite member. His vocals and drum playing were unlike any other artist.
He was replaced by the original drummer of the band Norma Jean and they released one album together with that lineup before eventually calling it quits. I didn’t like the album at first, but almost 10 years later, its one of my favorites and by far the heaviest record they ever made as a band.
I, along w/ thousands of others wondered if they would get back together. It seemed impossible. There were stories of tension in the members relationships with one another and many of them were beginning to have kids, start businesses, and get day jobs.
But, somewhere along the way they all decided to get back together and last year released another album. It had been 8 years since the last release and when I heard an album was happening, I about lost my mind. They didn’t tell anyone they were recording it, but instead, did the whole thing in secret. Theres nothing more punk rock than that.
The album was released with much distain from a lot of old fans. Some were mad that they had chosen to curse in their songs and go a more alternative route. “We want the original Underoath” people would say. But at the same time, people also loved it. Left and right they were gathering new fans. Musically, it was their most diverse album yet. They took a leap and decided to do something different than ever before and it paid off.
Some of the latest songs are at millions of streams on spotify and they recently sold out their first stadium show in Tampa. They are easily the most popular they’ve ever been in their career. When I saw they were releasing an album again, I told a friend of mine, “I’m going to do photos for Underoath!”. Its honestly been one of my biggest goals as a photographer.
After trying this last year, I was finally able to make it to a show to shoot some photos. They were gracious enough to let me shoot candids backstage and from the actual stage as well.
Underoath, you are and will always be my favorite band. Thank you Randy, their manager for giving me this opportunity. I can’t thank you enough honestly. Go check out the new album, “Erase Me.” Its some of their best and most diverse work yet!
Underoath has some tour dates coming up this summer as well! Go to www.underoath777.com for more info!
