Underoath

Item: The Changing of Times
Author: Grindboy

The Changing of Times

(2002)

Reviewed by Grindboy

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Solid State RecordsDead Zine2002

metalcore post-hardcore

Did you have an older brother growing up? A really good brother, one that was like your best friend, and you especially knew he loved you when he took you down and pounded on you in brotherly love. But then he graduated and went off to college. When he came home for spring break something had changed. He was still that same big brother you loved, but now instead of playing like he used to he just spends his days on the phone with this girl that he met. Sorry kids, but Underoath went off to college.

Most every song on this album contains at least one "take you down and beat you" section, and they rip every bit as much as the good old days, but like all pleasures of this world they are fleeting. Probably between half and two-thirds of the music here is in sort of a punk rock/emo/modern rock/indie rock vibe. If that doesn't give you a good handle on what it's like, that's because I really don't know how to describe it, because it's not what I would normally listen to. "Screamo", maybe? I don't know. Most of the vocals are still the typical screeches, and a couple death growls still creep through, but there's way too much singy stuff for me, and the background vox. . . oh, the background vox! Check them out on "When the Sun Sleeps" or even better the title track and tell me they don't belong in a top 40 song somewhere. The keys are still there, and once in a while sound like Cries..., although just as often there are just sounds, which (like most of the album) range from really freaking cool (think Obituary World Demise) to just really freaking strange. Again I can't overlook the truly heavy parts on this disc. There's some all-metal double bass; there's some huge, chunky riffage. But there's just a lot of something else, too.

Lyrics are interesting, I suppose. Most of them appear to be personal tales of woe, I think at least a couple of them are about girls (they could be about God, but I would guess girls). The word "romance" actually appears in 2 of the 9 songs. One song actually does say "Forgive me Jesus", although I'm not quite sure for what. Which is ok, the lyrics don't have to be written for me, and it doesn't look like they were. It's clear that they're a Christian band, but that's about all that's really clear. Maybe I'll just leave it at that, I'm obviously no good at interpreting.

Bottom line - you remember Underoath as the band that ripped your head off and stomped on it without remorse? Your head still flies off, but now they'll gently sew it back on and kiss the wound to make it all better. I'm sure the new style and the distribution of Solid State will add up to a boatload of new fans for the boys, but I'm guessing their status as Dead's favorite son will go down as a casualty. The changing of times, indeed.

5.5/10