The Daily Times

None of the guys who started Underoath are a part of the current lineup, and yet the Christian metalcore band is enjoying some of the best reviews of its career for its most recent album “Ø (Disambiguation),” released last year.

Revolver called it the band’s “most experimental and primal album, their most raw and mature,” while Alternative Press gave it 41⁄2 stars out of 5, saying it’s “the first Underoath album in years that you’ll walk away humming �" even as you pick the shrapnel out of your ears.” The album debuted at No. 1 on the Christian chart, No. 9 on the Digital chart and No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 200.

And that, according to bass player Grant Brandell, is proof that Underoath is something much bigger than its individual participants, past and present.

“I think that the band has always been that way in our heads,” he told The Daily Times this week. “Every time when we have a membership change, it hasn’t taken more than a day to say, ‘We want to keep doing this.’ That’s why we came up with the title �" ‘Disambiguation’ is the definition of that symbol, and disambiguous means more than one person. It’s about on overall theme, about creating that with whomever is in the band and staying true to the mission.”

From the outset, the Tampa-based project has been out to do one thing �" play some punishing rock ‘n’ roll and maintain positive attitudes. They’re not overtly Christian; you won’t find them proselytizing from the stage or handing out Bibles to show-goers. A good portion of Underoath’s fanbase, in fact, isn’t Christian at all.

But that doesn’t mean they hide or deny their Christianity either, Brandell said.

“In the overall sense, we’re positive dudes trying to put out a positive message in a, at least in my head, very unfulfilling music industry as far as creativity goes,” he said. “Nowadays, everything is regurgitated over and over, it seems. That’s what’s been successful, for the most part, for us �" a big part of what we value as a band is stepping out and not worrying about where we’re going to land on a financial or business level, and I think people respect that.”

That philosophy has certainly grown Underoath’s fanbase. The band started out small, playing festivals around Florida before releasing a debut album in 1999 on Takehold Records, which was bought by Tooth and Nail in 2001. The new owners kept Underoath, assigning the band to its subsidiary Solid State, where the group has remained ever since. By 2004 and the release of “They’re Only Chasing Safety,” the band had broadened into the secular arena; the album would go on to sell almost 500,000 copies.

In 2006, Underoath’s “Define the Great Line” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart, the highest-charting debut from a Christian act since 1997. It’s follow-up, “Lost in the Sound of Separation,” landed at No. 8 the week it debuted in 2008, and Underoath has consistently been asked to take part in mainstream festivals with non-Christian metal acts �" Warped Tour, Rockstar Energy Mayhem Tour and more.

Last April, the final remaining original member, drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie, left the group, which led to the addition of Daniel Davison, formerly of the hardcore band Norma Jean, to join on drums. According to Brandell, the two have locked in tighter than ever as a rhythm section.

“I think one of the biggest issues on our records before was that there was kind of a butting of heads, in a sense, over the musical direction,” he said. “It was never like an ordeal, but it was always kind of present. I think when Daniel came around, no one knew what to expect. No one expected anything, really, because we had the freedom to go where we wanted to go and try what we wanted to try.

“It was a really surreal feeling �" everyone was down for going in any direction, trying anything. No one was really worried about this or that. In my mind, that was definitely a fresh, new and exciting time.”

“Disambiguation,” he said, marks a significant departure in terms of experimentation. It’s heavy, as all Underoath albums are, but there are also moments of brooding introspection and an overall emphasis on melody that makes the album more appealing even to fans who aren’t a fan of hardcore.

“We’re doing these new things we’ve never tried before, and I love it,” he said. “I think it’s turning out great.”

And of course, he added, the guys have never lost sight of their values, no matter how much strife was a part of their business and personal relationships. And that’s made Underoath as strong as it’s ever been.

“Anyone that’s a Christian, that’s a part of their life everyday in the choices they make,” he said. “In the writing process, it’s there, but it’s not like we talk about it every five minutes or anything like that. It’s just always been there, and it’s shaped a part of who we are and who we’ve become. There’s a natural dialog between us that’s a big part of this band, and I think it always will be. But it’s also more of a subliminal thing at this point, too �" just a part of who we are.”