Underoath - Define the Great Line (2006)^{Release ID: 33364}

It wasn't until over 4 years ago when I started growing up to metalcore. I was discovering metal way more than the rest of my family, bands like Trivium and Bullet for My Valentine, and I probably would've also gotten into one of my brother's favorite bands Avenged Sevenfold if they didn't dump their metalcore roots. All these bands were discovered via music videos on TV a few years before I started listening to metalcore, and another band from there is Underoath, whose video I'll tell you about later.

Well, back then, my taste in power metal bands such as Blind Guardian was still dominant, along with progressive metal which I still enjoy to this day with bands like Opeth, and maybe one day I can even get into listen to Amorphis. I no longer enjoy those power metal bands as much as I used to, and that was my great chance to switch to the metalcore of Trivium and Underoath. The latter's 5th album, Define the Great Line, is a good example of the splendor of post-hardcore/metalcore (YES, metalcore! I made a Hall entry to get this album into the genre). There is criticism for being far more hardcore than their early albums, and while that's kind of true, it should be worth some time.

Yeah, the post-hardcore issues from their previous album are still around, especially in the first 5 songs, so f*** that. The interlude "Sálmarnir" itself is pointless for a different reason, this being monotonous minimalism for under 3 minutes. That should not exist at all! "Returning Empty Handed" is where they really return to hardcore metal riffing, now more in common with the metalcore scene than the extreme underground. However, "Casting Such a Thin Shadow" in less sincere and more unnecessarily draggy.

"Moving for the Sake of Motion" is probably the biggest highlight of the album, with sick riffing and atmosphere to enjoy! Spencer Chamberlain grieves over his relatable faults. "Writing on the Walls" is the second-best of the album. That's the music video I found on TV a few years before getting interested in this band, and it still rules! The vocals are really delivered well. "Everyone Looks So Good from Here" doesn't look too good, but a decent banger before the finale. "To Whom It May Concern" is a much better 7-minute epic, where atmosphere twists from heavy to smooth for an emotional atmosphere to enjoy, summing up the lyrical themes greatly for a new hope.

I don't think Define the Great Line would be a must-have for metalheads like myself, but at the same time, some songs might be good for the hardcore/metalcore within me. It's great that they brought back the metal, but some of the riffs aren't that attention-grabbing. Well, at least some positive moments still show the band's greatness....

Favorites (only songs I like from this album): "Returning Empty Handed", "Moving for the Sake of Motion", "Writing on the Walls", "To Whom It May Concern"