Show Review: Underoath (Farewell Tour) w/ mewithoutYou, As Cities Burn, Letlive

On their farewell tour, Underoath played a two night stint at The Masquerade in Atlanta, GA. I was lucky enough to catch the second night/next to last show. While having friends letlive, As Cities Burn, and Mewithoutyou help along with the tour, Underoath made this a night that Atlanta could never forget.

Letlive, who was personally asked by Underoath to be on this tour, performed first to get this Atlanta crowd fired up. Lead vocalist Jason Butler was all over the stage, whether it be hanging from the ceiling or singing in the crowd. Butler’s screams and his bands instrumentals had this crowd in the palm of his hands, controlling their every move.

Atlanta were definitely not strangers to letlive; they were singing the lyrics along with Jason, including one of my favorites, “Muther”. At the end of their last song, Butler grabbed one of the drum cymbals, gave a crowd member a drumstick, held the cymbal in front of the fan and let him strike it after the instrumentals had stopped.

As Cities Burn played next;  being on the same record label as Underoath, fans were also familiar with this band. They didn’t go as hard as letlive but they still gave this crowd a hell of a performance. This progressive rock band was anticipating Atlanta for Underoath’s arrival. With Tj Bonnette screaming and his younger brother, Cody Bonnette singing clean vocals, you could just hear how much potential ACB brought to the stage. This reunited (although they broke after the tour ended) band earned great amounts of respect for Atlanta and also myself, with it being my first time ever hearing them.

Mewithyou seemed out of place on this tour but their soft-paced music allowed to the crowd to rest up before the headliner came on.

Finally, Underoath made their way on stage. Chills went down my spine, anticipating their first song. Neon lights, strobe lights, and a projected video filled the stage. So much creativity filled Underoath’s stage. From crowd surfing, to slam dancing, and to mosh pits, Atlanta was delivering a show just as well as Underoath. The city holds a special place for the band, as Spencer noted during their set. They had recorded many a time at Matt Goldman Studios for their last couple of albums.

While announcing that this was Underoath’s last show in Atlanta, Spencer received boos from the crowd, he then said “Boo? Don’t boo me, it’s hard enough as it is, I’m trying not to cry, I’m trying to be a man!” while he burst into laughter. 

With the crowd knowing all the lyrics, ranging from Underoath’s new and old songs, this show was a successful night for this band. There’s no doubt that Underoath’s frontman, Spencer Chamberlain did what he does best, impressing his fans, what he’s been doing for the last 10 years. Thank you for everything, Underoath.

- AJ

I Call You Legion to Digitally Release Self-Titled Debut EP January 8th

Los Angeles’ I Call You Legion is excited to announce that their self-titled EP will be digitally released on January 8th. Speaking about the release, Kaleb Allen had this to say, “I think listeners are going to really get an Underoath vibe from the EP on some songs, while others will have a slightly thrashier feel. Either way, we think people are really going to dig what we’ve done.” The band has recently released their lead single “Our Experience, That Is, Ourselves” on YouTube that showcases that Underoath vibe while also marrying it with a Sleeping With Sirens influence. Throughout the entire release the band also shows their gritty side with influences from The Chariot, Every Time I Die, and Stray From The Path all represented.

The self-titled EP was recorded at Think Sound Studios with Drew Fulk and Kyle Odell. Kaleb Allen went on to describe the recording process, “Drew Fulk and Kyle Odell really did a fantastic job on this album for us. It was such a stress-free and professional situation. We wouldn’t have wanted to do this album anywhere else. The guys seemed really stoked to have us there and on top of that, like we said, they just did a great job capturing the essence of what we feel is ‘I Call You Legion’.” After the self-titled release, fans should be expecting a ton of shows and a new single sometime late next year.

Underoath add two more shows to Farewell Tour

Underoath are adding 2 more shows: 1/13 in Worcester, MA and 1/15 in New York City. They are also moving the Detroit show to a larger venue. Pre-sale bundles (ticket, limited edition vinyl and poster) for the added shows are available now at http://tixx1.artistarena.com/underoath/. Regular tickets for the new shows as well as additional tickets for Detroit will be on sale to the public this Friday, 10/26.

Underoath announces lineup for farewell tour

Below are the dates for Underoath's upcoming farewell tour. They'll be joined by mewithoutYou, As Cities Burn and letlive.

Jan 16    Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA

Jan 17    Irving Plaza - New York, NY
   
Jan 18    Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, Canada

Jan 19    St. Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI
   
Jan 20    Metro - Chicago, IL
   
Jan 22    House of Blues - Dallas, TX
   
Jan 23    House of Blues - Houston, TX

Jan 25    The Masquerade  -Atlanta, GA

Jan 26    The Ritz Ybor - Tampa, FL

Underoath announce farewell tour and anthology album

Groundbreaking metalcore act UNDERØATH are formally announcing their plans to disband following a remarkable 15-year career that made a monumental impact on millions of fans and forever changed the face of heavy music.

“It’s sad to say that we feel like it’s time to close this chapter, but we have never seen things more clearly,” says vocalist Spencer Chamberlain. “These have been the best years of my entire life, and I owe that to every single person who ever supported this band along the way. This wasn’t a quick decision by any means. It’s just time for us to move on.”

The band is closing an era during which it served as a pillar of the heavy music scene. UNDERØATH formed an indelible bond with their massive fan base through relentless touring in front of sellout audiences on six continents, as well as the early adoption and mastery of social networking that helped bridge the divide between band and fan - resulting in the band becoming one of the first with 1 million ‘likes’ on Facebook as well as a tally of more than 70 million plays on MySpace.

The Tampa, Florida-based group released seven acclaimed albums in total – including the Gold-certified mid-2000s releases They’re Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line – that collectively yielded several groundbreaking videos, Grammy and Dove Award nominations and total sales in excess of 1.3 million units.

On the road to becoming one of hard rock’s biggest success stories, UNDERØATH created a deep and enduring culture surrounding its music and message and became that rarest of things in the music world: a band that actually meant something, to millions of fans around the globe.

UNDERØATH will cap its incredible run with the release of a career retrospective album, Anthology 1999-2013 – released November 6 on Solid State Records. With tracks culled from their 1999 debut, Act of Depression, through the instant classics on 2010’s Ø (Disambiguation), Anthology 1999-2013 is an essential collection of songs that celebrates the evolution of this seminal band.
Pushing Anthology 1999-2013 beyond a mere retrospective, the release gives fans one last chance to hear newly recorded material in the form of new tracks “Sunburnt” and “Unsound.” Recorded with longtime producer Matt Goldman, the two new songs represent the final material recorded by the band.

“Over the past decade or so of our lives, we have been able to live a dream traveling the world, playing music that excites us, and meeting more amazing people than we could have ever fathomed,” says keyboardist Chris Dudley. “This couldn’t be a more bittersweet moment for us. We have accomplished more, met more friends, seen more places and have just done more than we could have ever imagined, and we really wanted to just go out on the highest note possible. That’s why we have put together a group of great friends and musicians for what will be our final tour ever. We are taking every moment of this tour as an opportunity to say goodbye to you all, as well as celebrate what has taken place over all these years. The love we have and the debt of gratitude that we owe to all of you is not able to be measured in any way.”

That farewell tour will commence in 2013, featuring fan-favorite songs that span the entirety of UNDERØATH’s career. Further details to be announced next week.

“We don’t take this very lightly and it’s heartbreaking for all of us,” Chamberlain says of the band’s announcement, “but all good things must come to an end. We love all of you and hope to see you again soon.”

Track Listing:
01) Sunburnt
02) Unsound
03) In Division
04) Catch Myself Catching Myself
05) Paper Lung
06) Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
07) Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear
08) In Regards To Myself
09) You’re Ever So Inviting
10) Writing On The Walls
11) A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White
12) Reinventing Your Exit
13) It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
14) I’ve Got Ten Friends And A Crowbar That Says You Ain’t Gonna Do Jack
15) When The Sun Sleeps
16) Cries Of The Past
17) Heart Of Stone

Underoath writing new songs

Underoath confirmed they’re in the studio recording two new songs. They are rumored to be releasing a “greatest hits” album and these two songs are going to accompany that.

WOLVES AT THE GATE premiere 'Safeguards'

Days after the premiere of their breathtaking new video for “Dead Man,” Ohio rockers WOLVES AT THE GATE are pushing forward with yet another new track - "Safeguards" - from their debut full-length, Captors, out July 3rd on Solid State Records. 

With “Safeguards,” the band continues carving out a niche that is likely to eventually spring a waterfall of imitators - a refreshing take on a well trodded genre that has caused Solid State to dub WOLVES AT THE GATE (alongside label mates THE OVERSEER) as one half of “The New Breed” - the front runners in a new generation of post-metalcore heavy music.

Listen to ‘Safeguards’:
http://smarturl.it/watg

The track premieres hot on the heels of their recently released video for ‘Dead Man’ - a visually captivating tale of redemption told through a son’s post-mortem discovery of his father’s buried past.

Watch the video for ‘Dead Man’:

http://youtu.be/lRomot2J76o

The follow-up to their touted 2011 EP We Are the Ones, Captors finds the band not only living up to but surpassing the huge potential recognized by critics and fans alike. No longer constrained by the limits of an EP, the members of WOLVES AT THE GATE were able to showcase the explosive growth of their songwriting, from luscious, melodic rock tracks to lip-splitting hardcore stomps.

Produced by Andreas Magnussen (OH, SLEEPER, HASTE THE DAY, etc), Captors is a blisteringly heavy full-length debut with the potential to appeal to every variety of rocker – from fans of metalcore to traditional metal to mainstream hard rock. It’s an album that – like those of some of the band’s influences (AS CITIES BURN, THRICE, FOO FIGHTERS, UNDER0ATH) –  avoids pigeonholes and easy labels. With the November 2011 release of We Are The Ones, the band wedged their way into a crowded heavy music scene. Now, with Captors, the band is kicking down the door and taking no prisoners.

Review: To Speak of Wolves - Find Your Worth, Come Home

To Speak of Wolves - Find Your Worth, Come Home
Record Label: Solid State Records
Release Date: May 22nd, 2012

I first heard of Greensboro, NC natives To Speak of Wolves when I saw them open for Underoath and Emery back in 2009. Releasing “Myself<Letting Go” to rave reviews in 2010, the band lost original vocalist, Rick Jacobs and picked up Oh, Sleeper’s merch guy Gage Speas for vocal duty. After seeing the band three times (once with Rick Jacob and twice with Gage Speas, I can honestly say they’ve found their sound with the new vocalist. “Find Your Worth, Come Home" contains two guest vocals from Micah Kinard of Oh, Sleeper on “Stand Alone Complex”, and Levi the Poet on “Rearview Memories” which gives the album variation. To Speak of Wolves waste no time shifting into high gear with the ferocious opener, "Hivemind" which smashes through the wall and grabs you by the throat. It’s quite obvious the band are influenced by The Chariot and Norma Jean (back when they had Josh Scogin in the band) which is evident in guitarists Corey Doran and Aaron Kisling’s chaotic playing even more so in Gage’s raw vocals. Thankfully, their guitar playing stands out among hundreds of other bands who prefer chugging and breakdowns over innovative riffs. Phil Chamberlain’s drumming really shines through on this record, especially on the songs, "Je Suis Fini", "Broken Birds", and Hivemind. It’s safe to say that To Speak of Wolves have secured their place as one of Solid State’s next big bands.

8.5/10

Interview: Telle Smith from The Word Alive

This interview was originally gonna take place on the Dec 8th stop of the Fearless Friends Tour in Atlanta but then they broke down in Florida and couldn’t make the show. Thankfully, Telle was cool enough to make it up with an email interview. We discussed their setlist for the tour, his clothing line (Resist and Rebel), and why they chose a new producer for the upcoming record.

Please state your name and role in The Word Alive 

 Telle, I’m the vocalist for TWA.

What are some of your music influences and how involved in music were you growing up?

 I wasn’t really involved with music until I was about 18-19.  But I always loved it.  Some of my influences today are Deftones, In Flames, Soilwork, Underoath, Thursday and many others (as far as this genre goes).

How was the Fearless Friends tour for you guys?

 It was great, 1st US tour after Warped tour and we had a lot of fun.  Our fans sang louder than ever.

How hard was it picking the setlist for the tour? I know it can get tiring playing the same songs over and over  again. Looking over the setlist for the tour, you had the crowd favorites like “The Wretched” and “2012”, etc. 

 We try to pick a mixture of fan favorites, high energy songs and songs we enjoy playing live.  Especially on a support tour we want to play songs that keep our set flowing and bringing a lot of energy to the crowds.

With that in mind, what’s a few songs that weren’t in the setlist that you would’ve liked to play if you had more time? 

 We wanted to play “The Only Rule Is That There Are No Rules” but couldn’t squeeze it in unfortunately.

What’s one song that you haven’t played off the Deceiver yet that you’d like to? 

 We Know Who You Are, which I hope we can one day.

Deceiver is a year old; what are some misconceptions people have about the album?

 I’m not sure of misconceptions really, I haven’t heard anything along those lines.  I think the only thing people might think is that I didn’t do all of the singing/screaming.  There was a misprint once upon a time saying that I only did singing; I do it all.  

 Are you on good terms with Greeley Estates and In Fear and Faith and would you ever tour together in the future? 

 We’ve toured with IFAF since I joined TWA twice now I think, and just haven’t been on any tours GE were on.  We’re all friends though so of course. We’ve been on great terms for a long time now.  It’s good to know everyone is happy where they are at.

You have a clothing line, Resist and Rebel; how did that get started?

 Andrew from Woe, Is Me was in Abandon All Ships at the time, and on our Smartpunk Tour headliner.  We met, became friends, and discussed starting a line, and then decided to do one together and the rest is history.  Just released several new items yesterday actually!

Your main priority is obviously TWA, but do you always plan on continuing your solo work/side project in whatever form you can?  

 I definitely will always create all kinds of music, but TWA is where my heart is and where I belong. I don’t really focus on the other stuff unless I have a ton of free time. I used to have that, but we’ve been writing a new record, I own a business and produce bands on the side now so I don’t have a lot of time for writing my own things.

You guys played Warped Tour this year on the Advent Stage; are you playing the tour next year?

 Nope, we’re taking a year off.  We played the last 2 years and while it would have been great to come back again, Warped Tour is all about staying fresh and we’re taking a year off to try another summer festival tour.  It’s gonna rule.  We love Kevin Lyman and he’s been a fan of our band for the past few years, his support has meant so much to us.

Speaking of touring: in your opinion, which is the best/worst run venues from a production and band point of view?  

 Venues who take huge merch cuts because they want to make up for a lack of promoting.  

You’re set to record with Joey Sturgis in February; what made you decide to choose him over Andrew Wade?

 It wasn’t really a him over Wade thing, we love Andrew and we wouldn’t be what we are today without him.  We just wanted to try something else and see what effect it had on us.  We’ve only ever recorded albums with Andrew.  It was between Joey and a couple other producers, we chose Joey ultimately because of his love for metal, with a huge genius for the production side of things and that was important to us this time around.

Last question; pick two songs; one from your catalog, that you want new fans to check out after reading this  interview. And one song from any band/genre.

 ”Lights And Stones” by us, my favorite and “Disconnect” by Soilwork

Underoath play their old stuff

Underoath’s “Play Your Old Stuff” is a 3-CD set including all the tracks from their three albums, “The Changing Of Times,” “They’re Only Chasing Safety” and “Define The Great Line” for one low price. This anthology is ideal for fans that might might have missed out on some of the band’s best-selling catalog, and is also a way for new fans to discover and get all three of the band’s first albums. The pack is available in stores and online October 18th.

1. When The Sun Sleeps
2. Letting Go Of Tonight
3. A Message For Adrienne
4. Never Meant To Break Your Heart
5. Changing Of Times
6. Angel Below
7. Best Of Me
8. Short Of Daybreak
9. Alone In December
10. 814 Stops Today
11. Young and Aspiring
12. A Boy Brushed Red…Living in Black and White
13. The Impact of Reason
14. Reinventing Your Exit
15. The Blue Note
16. It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
17. Down, Set, Go
18. I Don’t Feel Very Receptive Today
19. I’m Content With Losing
20. Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape
21. In Regards To Myself
22. A Moment Suspended In Time
23. There Could Be Nothing After This
24. You’re Ever So Inviting
25. Salmarmnir
26. Returning Empty Handed
27. Casting Such A Thin Shadow
28. Moving For The Sake of Motion
29. Writing On The Walls
30. Everyone Looks So Good From Here
31. To Whom It May Concern