Underøath - 'The Place After This One'

BACKGROUND. Say what you want, Underoath are living legends and the alternative music scene would not be the same today without them. From those early innocent MySpace days through the rise and fall of emo and screamo, and the evolution of the post-hardcore and metalcore sound, all the way to modern-day alt metal and arena rock, Underoath were and still are there to push the boundaries. And now, like most legacy scene acts that woke up in 2025 to drop killer new album, they return yet again with The Place After This One or the tenth installment in their already fascinating discography and wild journey through the endless realms of the alternative subculture.

BAND. Ignoring James Smith's recent departure and several minor changes along the way, Underoath in 2025 is the very same coherent unit that has been shaping the heavy music world to their liking for more than twenty years - from those naive early classics They're Only Chasing Safety (2004) and Define the Great Line (2006) through that inevitable breakup, back to the reunion and the Erase Me (2018) revival, all the way to their new mature era of Voyeurist (2022) and now The Place After This One. And although Aaron Gillespie is the only original member that started it all back in 1997, the rest of the band have been together since Spencer Chamberlain joined on vocals in 2003 and that synergy and effortless delivery is present in everything Underoath puts out today, and the rest is history that is still unfolding in front of our eyes.

ALBUM. So far there hasn't been a subcultural niche that Underoath explored and didn't master, and their latest grungey alt-rock phase is yet another territory worth digging deeper into and waiting to be conquered. The Place After This One gets even further away from their screamo roots and metalcore past, and closer to avant-garde post-hardcore framework, imaginative artistic passages, and subtle sludge nuances. The record is angry and melancholic in equal measures, balanced with a wide range of conflicting moods, ideas and influences. Aside from the dominant atmosphere displayed in Voyeurist, the album cares little for the past and is firmy set in the present with hints of where Underoath can go from here.

SONGS. The record dives right into the madness with the supercharged lead single 'Generation No Surrender' and its frenzied companions in 'Devil' and 'Loss'. From there you get energetic and bouncy tracks like 'Survivors Guilt' and 'And Then There Was Nothing', anthemic arena favourites like 'All The Love Is Gone' and 'Shame', the refreshingly sludgey 'Vultures' with Mastodon's Troy Sanders himself, and the more melancholic and alternative 'Teeth'. From heavy to dreamy in just a second, the album even gets its aethereal finale in 'Outsider', all but a few gentle piano keys to mark the end of a truly wonderful piece of modern metal music.

FUTURE. With a band like Underoath with that much history, influence and legacy, it is somewhat to say they have outdone themselves but The Place After This One really sounds and feels incredible. As different as it is from those classic nostalgic records, this one now peak Underoath at their best current form, embracing all the creative freedom and artistic willfullness that comes with such stature. Pure musicianship without the excessive expectations, responsibilities and contractual obligation, like all things should be.