Artist: Underoath
Album: Lost In The Sound of Separation
Label: Tooth and Nail Records
Street Date: 9/02/08
Review by: Nate
- “Breathing In A New Mentality” – 2:37
- “Anyone Can Dig A Hole But It Takes A Real Man To Call It Home” – 3:16
- “A Fault Line. A Fault Of Mine” – 3:22
- “Emergency Broadcast: The End Is Near” – 5:44
- “The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed” – 3:09
- “We Are The Involuntary” – 4:10
- “The Created Void” – 4:02
- “Coming Down Is Calming Down” – 3:15
- “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures” – 3:28
- “Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear” – 4:31
- “Desolate Earth: The End Is Here” – 4:07
Rating: 7.5/10
Summary:
For Underoath fans, this has been the long-awaited album. Too long, for some. But for most, complaints were heard few and far between because the people had faith.
Faith that the mighty UO would deliver the greatest of surprises. Because this is what Underoath… does. Or at least thats what we thought. Let us remind ourselves that while the band has been a hardmusic powerhouse for the past few years, two albums is hardly enough to base a legacy upon. And with that said, we find more proof of Underoath attempting to discover the “legacy of finding their niche”. I’ll explain more later. Now with the album:
The album awakes with a rough mixed/recorded intro to capture our attention. And soon enough the music comes into focus as we listen to one of the hardest tracks on the album, “Breathing In a New Mentality”. The intensity continues to the next track as we feel like we have heard this somewhere before. The same eerie yet creative sounds are found to captivate the breakdowns along with Gillespie’s belting vocals. And speaking of Aaron, you’ll sure find him in this album as if UO is responding to The Almost’s recent success. Gillespie’s tests his vocals abilities with this album adding a solid prescence to the CD, giving us a break from the monotonous tracks that we’ve “heard somewhere else before, but can’t quite put our finger on it”.
Yes. Many have called this, “Define the Great Line, pt. 2″. And all with good reason. But when digging through the album we find some minute differences that may set this apart from the last. The lyrical value has seemed to been pushed to more of a sensitive and person side. While the last album explored poetic lyrics that causes people interpret at will, this album offers more blunt and straight forward lyrics pointing to the heart of the band. We find revealing words even about the band’s past struggles involving the supposed and rumored, near break-up.
We are also presented with some actual stand out tracks that I feel are great, just because they are different. Songs such as “Too Bright To See Too Loud To Hear”, give a slower and minimalistic vibe that I would love to see more prevalent in a future album.
And I think this is key to Underoath’s future success. While there is nothing, wrong with this album, there is not a lot right with it either. It is entertaining to the ears, and fulfills our ears for the moment as we reminisce about when we first got, “Define the Great Line”. Back in the day when UO suprised us, and we honestly weren’t sure of what we were listening to. They took risks that involved them passing or failing, and taking that risk with “Define” gave it so much more character than what we have now with, “Lost In the Sound of Separation”. So my suggestion to UO is to not attempt to acheive the “legacy of finding the niche”, because they have found one already. Twice. They need to attempt the “legacy of learning the niche” which suggests that they will constantly be learning, bending, and changing they way they make music. This way of always learning involves risks, but its the character that will last.
Quick summary:
Great album with some decent changes, but I have still have heard it before. Take some chances UO!
Rating: 7.5/10
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50 Responses
I give it a 10/10…i’ll be listening for months on end without touching another cd.
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 1:28 pm
i greatly disagree with that score, 6.5 out of 10? come on, its way better than that
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I give it a 10 out of 10 too. You have to listen a few times to begin to understand it. It has elements of DTGL, other than that it’s completely different. The reviewer obviously listened once. Their was another reviewer who re-did his review after he listened to the cd more.
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:10 pm
hi alex
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:10 pm
This is Nate’s opinion and his opinion alone. It does not reflect the overall opinion of other members of staff at Indie Vision Music. Let me just make that clear. I have not yet bought this album so I can’t really judge it personally but from the few songs I heard on Myspace, I was greatly impressed with it. I love Underoath and if they want to make more songs like Define the Great Line, then that’s perfectly fine with me.
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
grow a backbone, b.
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Um, okay?
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Well honestly, the album was so bittersweet for me. Like I like it alot. I really do. Its just it hurts me to think about what it COULD have been. I know thats just my opinion. So i will admit I let that part of the letdown effect the over all score. Even though I am not really focusing on the score that much. Would it make yal feel better if i bumped it up a bit? :p
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
EDIT: Changed overall rating so people would focus more on review than score. New rating reflects the actual musical quality with less influence from previous albums.
Sad I have to do that…
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
i think i’d give the album a 9.5/10. …
at first listen.. i was a little dissapointed. i was hoping for more vocals from Aaron. and better riffs.
…but as i kept listening to it, i haven’t really turned it off. it’s definitely more than just DTGL pt2. the melodies are more driven and anthemish.. it’s grown on me so much since the first listen. i think it’s by far one of the best albums of 2008.
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I love the lyrics in this album. Its a whole lot more personal.
The last track gives me chills every time I listen to it.
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 12:06 am
It’s a bit unfair to call this ‘Define The Great Line 2′. There is a lot more to it, and a lot of changes. There’s a bit of an As Cities Burn influence there too.
If it’s not too much of a liberty posting this, here’s a review of the new record I wrote: http://www.stereofire.com/posts/theyre-only-defining-the-great-sound
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 2:45 am
I have yet to buy this album myself, but I was really excited to see an honest review for it. Everyone claims it’s a perfect album b/c it’s uO. Are they good? Yes. Are they 10/10 best album ever? Hardly.
It was cool to see a review that actually looked at the band with an honest eye… only to see that dissipate and the score get bumped back up. Sad really. underOath should not be immune from an honest review and IVM should not be afraid to post the truth…
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 7:44 am
I’m really surprised by this review. I think you need to re-listen to the album. There are a lot of new things here, I also disagree with the Define pt 2 comparison. Amazing album, worth the wait.
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 8:49 am
Ratings aside (how much is a score REALLY worth anyway?), I loved the album and think it’s a bit different in some ways. This might be the type of album in their career that’s just before they hit their peak and create a masterpiece or start falling (depending on what they do).
I got 2 friends that are obsessed with UO, one thinks it’s the best thing they’ve ever done. The other is taken back by how it experiments more. Usually polarizing views on an album mean it’s something special. Both agree that the lyrics are the most personal lyrics they’ve had yet and can relate.
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 9:36 am
i personally agree with the review. it’s not 2006 anymore. i would have liked for underoath to have matured some.
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 10:42 am
BRING BACK CRIES OF THE PAST!
I had to do it.
But in all honesty, I agree with the review, and wish you wouldn’t have bumped it back up. I mean, look at my For Today review. I gave it a 7/10, despite a few people on there saying it deserved more, and I had plenty of non-IVM people tell me the same thing. It was just your opinion, and you’re supposed to give YOUR review on how you feel, not what you think people will want to hear. So I applaud you for not giving it a 10/10. Because I don’t feel any cd will ever deserve that. But that’s just me.
I almost picked it up, but every song I’ve heard has reminded me way too much of DTGL and honestly? uO is good, yeah, but I seriously miss olden days. And while I won’t sit and pout about it, I just won’t support them as much as I used to. I mean, I don’t HAVE to like the music. Ha.
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 11:32 am
I agree with John Wayne thridsaint and One Crushing…let the man give his opinion, seriously. It’s not that big of a deal. A review is just that…a person’s honest opinion, and nothing more. It’s not like it’s anyhting set in stone.
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I never told anyone to change the review or “Score” so anyone who has that though of me can seriously get a clue. I don’t “influence” reviews here at the site and everyone who writes for IVM does so with freedom of mind and thought. I just couldn’t imagine Underoath getting a 6.5 out of 10 so that’s the only reason I rasied my voice. I am sorry I said anything. I just didnt feel that Underoath should get the same score as an album from a band like Thousand Foot Krutch.
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
so now you have a problem with TFK?
oh THAT IS IT!
haha.
and THIS is why i don’t give reviews scores
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 1:13 pm
No my problem is with you Tyler. You and your Krystal Meyers obsession
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
i give my krystal meyers obsession a 7.5/10
its not my best work, but its enjoyable
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
wassabi.. you talking to me?
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I was kinda disappointing with the review.. I was hopping for some reviews of the lyrics and the albums meaning and all that jazz.
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 2:34 pm
i think this is a great album i think its the second best behind there only chasing safety
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 3:53 pm
@Pimp dude, I mentioned the lyrical value, but I rather not dig into each of the songs, when the listen can do that for himself. I presented the fact that it is there and worth exploring.
@Wassabi, bump galleta, I have listened to the CD probably more times that you think. Most likely more than you have. Check my Last.fm if you’d like…
@StereoFireAlex, I never said I thought it was Define the Great Line, pt 2. In fact said, and still believe there are many attributes that set the albums apart.
@everyone, The score change was prompted by the realization that the CD deserved much better, despite the fact that I could care less about the score and more about what I was trying to convey, which I feel some have ignore. I’m quite bummed.
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Why does it show 65 comments and only 26 show up here? This site is weird sometimes.
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 9:18 am
brandon…doesn’t it have to do with spam comments?
so yea i just got this yesterday and have listened to like half of it.
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Yeah I think it does have to do with spam comments.
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Mr H. - Did you buy the regular edition or the special w/ the DVD? What do you think of that half you’ve listened to?
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
wow, mr. h, never been called that before, makes me feel like a teacher hahaha.
ummm
i bought the regular edition cus…well ill watch the rest on youtube or something and ive been spending too much money lately…
i think 5 and 6 were my favorite of the first half…but ill need to listen to it all a couple times before im completely sure…you know me…i like the ones where i can kinda sing along…and ive heard the last two tracks are stellar so its too early to tell…i thought the first track was kind of…um…well i dont recall liking it that much
did you get it Mr. W? (men in black, anyone? haha)
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I still have not bought it yet
Give me time, give me time…..
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
brandon…oh music lover you…8 bucks at best buy, cmon man.
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
i agree with the review. it is actually as accurate as you can get. simply because for a good reason i expected so much more from underoath. they said that there would never be an album they wrote twice, which makes me bummed in that way because i was expecting something that reworked how we thought of their music altogether. Think of the transition between chasing safety and define, the difference is hadly comparable to the litsos change. but this is an UNDEROATH album, it certainly is going to be a record i will be listening to a ridiculous amount for the next few years. God has given them incredible skills in making albums that stay at the top of this music scene and climb up the billboards, not to mention the lasting value. SO i was expecting something genre topping like define the great line. this album is still going to be a great one for years to come. and it stands up there with define in my book already, but since they said it was going to be considerably heavier than define i guess i was expecting Job For a Cowboy.
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
oh and right now i’ve clocked in 175 plays on Lost In The Sound of Separation
http://www.last.fm/user/mikeroth777
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
GET IT FIRST WEEK, geez. I’m off to get it. Bye guys.
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
anyone know where we can find out online how their sales are doing? i dont know who they are up against (though i did notice that best buy was running low on u0 but had plenty of NKOTB), but it would be pretty rad if they came in number one first week!
except for that…i’m sure that they’ll sell plenty…they are one of few indie christian bands that i think are doing just fine financially…just a guess
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I gave my first week predictions on Cr.net…haha, don’t go there. (to the site I mean)
Basically, I predicted that Young Jeezy would sell the most, followed very closely by NKOTB, then Underoath.
However, it was Young Jeezy, Underoath, and then NKOTB.
and then something amazing and totally enexpected happened. Chris Tomlin pulled in at #3! Above NKOTB AND Underoath! #1 Was Young Jeezy and #2 Was Doctor Horrible’s sing-along songs.
Now Underoath is #5 and NKOTB is #4.
I’m pretty sure that they will sell over 100,000 first week, though, but I may be wrong. We shall see!
Posted on September 4th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Mr. H should definitely make you feel like a substitute teacher with a horribly un-pronounceable last name. I have not bought this album yet, but will probably buy the regular edition tonite unless the deluxe looks awesome.
I usually check hitsdailydouble.com for the weekly top 40 count, but I’d love to know if there are any other sites an average man with no standing in the biz can read that report deeper into the charts.
I doubt NKOTB will sell enough to be #1, though they may beat uO. Rappers will always take top spot. My only prediction has been that uO will not out sell Define the Great Line’s first week numbers. I also doubt this record goes Gold, but I’d definitely like them to do even better.
Posted on September 5th, 2008 at 6:23 am
Think about it, though. This is NKOTB’s first release since 1994…it’s pretty much like DC Talk doing a reunion album. Also, there was a lot of hype and anticipation surrouding the new Jeezy effort, due to his song “Put On”. I hear that both albums pretty much live up to their anticipation, and I’m happy for them. However, it would be nice to see UO go number one, but they’ll probably only escape with #3-#5 (due to Dr. Horrible and Chris Tomlin)
Posted on September 5th, 2008 at 7:49 am
so ive listened twice now.
its great.
really great.
yay.
Posted on September 5th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I honestly think it is a great album. Their first single sounds like a song from their past album, but the rest of the album stands on its own. I give the album 9/10.
Posted on September 8th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
“Desperate Times…” is not a great lead single if that’s what you call songs for a band like this. “Oh disappointments so disappointing” has to be one of the worst lines ever. I would have failed if I wrote that in some poem of mine for past English classes.
It also looks like underOath may not even make the top 10 in sales. It’s surprising seeing how empty the shelves were at BB, but maybe they didn’t stock as many as the other artists.
Posted on September 9th, 2008 at 7:07 am
Well Hitsdailydouble was predicting 60-70k in sales but that was without the Christian bookstores.
Posted on September 9th, 2008 at 10:53 am
so when will we know the final tally?
Posted on September 9th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Not a good review.
Should be a 9.
Posted on September 11th, 2008 at 7:44 am
the first few songs [up until Emergency Broadcast] is waaay too much like Define, but after i think it hits a very good feel. experimental and more melodic in nature. i love the ending.
Posted on October 6th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
i hate when reviews are judged only by score, rather than the words written. i just listened to this again and its amazing and beats most stuff out there, even if its similar to previous work.
Posted on October 6th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Hi! I made a new Underoath News blog (haha) and I intend to make it the most up to date blog about the band. Come and visit.
Leave a comment so I can link to you.
Thanks!
Anna.
Posted on October 23rd, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Thanks for letting us Anna, but however are we to find it?
Posted on October 24th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
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