Underoath - Cries of the Past (2000)
My my, Underoath has certainly undergone a Zao-like transformation. Whereas before they would have fit vaguely into the genre of "metalcore" (whatever that is) with Zao, now they have taken a step
in the direction of black metal or swedish death metal. They have introduced a keyboardist to the band, incorporating some more atmospheric elements into the music. The vocals have taken on a slightly more black metal texture,
alternating now and then with a pure death metal growl. In general, it would be safe to say that Underoath has lost a bit of the hardcore influence and picked up a variety of more metal-type influences. For instance, track 3 and 4
include some clean backup vocals similar to Ole Borud's clean singing in Extol. Old fans need fear not, however, as the elements that they originally loved Underoath for are still present, just mixed in with some new ingredients.
This is not a completely new direction for Underoath, but more of a fulfillment of the direction they were already headed in, and I would have to say that this is the right direction! This band almost evades classification at this
point, so varied are the influences on the music, but imagine crossing Zao with Emperor and In Flames and throwing in a touch of death metal and you'll get a general idea of what to expect. Each song twists and turns, never
dwelling too long on one riff or phrase, but winding it's way through nine or so minutes of time changes, acoustic interludes, spoken segues, etc, without ever getting boring. All
the instruments are played with precision and
tact: the drumming has tons of double bass, and enough fills and variations to keep it interesting; the guitars alternate between a chug and a light speed shred, often with two complementing each other. I can't decide if I'm
hearing two guitars interplaying or if it's a guitar and a bass, or perhaps a bit of both, but I definitely hear some harmonizing going on in certain parts. One thing is for sure: Underoath is still heavy enough to rattle windows
halfway around the world. Highly recommended! -- Review by McG