Sophomore slump. A label that implies a failure to meet high, yet supposedly attainable expectations. A label that no band ever wants to be associated with. No doubt, it was one thing many Underoath fans feared upon the release of their newest work, “Define the Great Line”. Although it is technically Underoath’s third release, it is only the second since the Spencer Chamberlain revolution, the sound revolution that began with the heart wrenching, mosh-inducing release, and “They’re Only Chasing Safety”. And the question lingered. Could Underoath follow up with something just as good?



The answer is yes. Yes they can. Yes they did. And they did so with flying colors.



I could tell from the opening track that the boys meant business. The opening track, “In Regards to Myself” really gets the juices flowing, boasting a sound that blends deeper face-ripping vocals of Chamberlain with chaotic metal elements comparable to the likes of Norma Jean or The Bled. It really draws one in, and invites them to listen to the whole album.



In the second and third tracks, “A Moment Suspended in Time” and “There Could Be Nothing After This” (respectively), the boys get back to their roots, letting everyone know they still know how to do it, Underoath style. Lyrics that call upon the Lord to save one from experiences of painful chaos and anguish (“I’m a prisoner…Command me on what to do, but we both know neither you or I are in control…”) are expressed through the good cop-bad cop, you scream-I sing style that Chamberlain and drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie have mastered so well.



In the track, “Moving for the Sake of Motion”, the Chamberlain/Gillespie duo express their trials in the lifelong search of finding oneself, opening the track, “Someone please turn the lights back on. I’ve been wandering here for days, disconnected, and in search for new air to breathe.” They later call out to their God, “…I hate the me that I’ve become, this needy, useless forgetting one. Truthfully I can’t be the me that I’ve washed up to be.” Still the same Underoath we know and love.



But the one thing that does set these tracks apart from the days of “Chasing Safety” is the strong breakdowns that give kids a rush and give parents a migraine. The kind of breakdowns that alter your heart rate because the riffs seem to have no solid tune or structure…yet still seem to have all the structure in the world.



The track, “Writing on the Walls”, is definitely the strongest, as it finds the perfect balance of groundbreaking breakdowns and the Underoath rock sound. Gillespie makes his presence felt with his heartfelt vocals (“We’ll speak of what a waste I am, and how we missed your beat again.”), and the beast from within makes his presence felt, as the breakdowns seem to come in at impeccable times. “I know there must be some way out of here and all of them will be waiting there,” screams Chamberlain as the song fades.



All in all, “Define the Great Line” is a very solid follow-up. The boys make the most of every single track, which is a real rarity in the music world today.