Disambiguation is not Underoath. Unfortunately, the band’s latest release shows the impact of losing drummer and vocalist Aaron Gillespie.
Their unique experiment of interlacing intense scream-o with soft, melodic sounds is officially over. The band is now no more than an average hardcore metal band at best.
There is still the incredible roar of Spencer Chamberlain’s voice, but without Gillespie providing the soft, contrasting vocals, Chamberlain’s voice loses the impact that really defined Underoath’s previous albums.
His voice now seems to drone on and out without any creativity. It almost feels humorous at times as one wonders how he can keep screaming for so long.
The music also has taken a slight turn for the worse. Without Gillespie’s drum solos, Underoath has turned entirely toward a duo of electric guitars that provide an adequate beat and rhythm, but they fail to reach the same creativity of previous albums.
The drums feel simplified and manufactured and add little to too many of the songs.
However, perhaps it is not fair to judge the band based on previous albums because, without Gillespie, it truly is an entirely different band.
So, for those who enjoyed the rawness and the intensity of the original Underoath, this new version of the band will be a breath of fresh air as they have clearly embraced the hardcore aspects of rock.
Also, Disambiguation is not all bad as many of the songs have a strong enough tempo to encourage listeners to at least mildly bob their heads to the overly-intense tracks, but the sound still feels superficial and forced.
All bands inevitably change; however, this change is especially unfortunate because Underoath was one of the few unique bands on the rock scene that was doing something different by bringing together disparate aspects of the rock genre and forming something that was both creative and beautiful.
In many ways, this change was predictable as their last album Lost in the Sound of Separation suggested the band was leaning towards a more intense sound.
However, Disambiguation is not just another Lost in the Sound of Separation; it is the total implementation of the hardcore genre in Underoath.
