Album Review | Underoath "Voyeurist"

Welcome to 2022. A new year. And new content. And with this new year comes one of the most exciting releases to grace the year's already thriving music scene, and that's Underoath's long awaited album "Voyeurist". An album that shows the band's return to form in heavy music while also keeping in tone with sounds from the rock world that the band has already dipped their toes in in the past with their 2018 release "Erase Me" which signaled off a brand-new era filled to the everlasting brim with creativity and enthusiasm that had been missing for quite some time. And, with that creativity and enthusiasm we see the band continue down the road of heavily electrified industrial madness with the heaviness of past releases cultivating in one singular package.

What's fascinating about "Voyeurist" is that it's boldness to create an atmosphere that's so different yet so familiar is something that yes has been seen in the past, is now tackling the sounds of the heavy music scene and the rock world and combining those paths into one cohesive and well thought out package that is both very melodic and powerful but also extremely heavy and complex, while still staying true to what Underoath is good at and then some.

The concept of "Voyeurist" is something that is very intriguing, being a play on words of the term "voyeurism" which is the act of feeling attraction to the act of the intimate affection of a couple, which in theory shows us how this album becomes a play on that attraction with other themes such as loss of faith, doubt in a higher being, being distant from otherworldly things, and being skeptical of the environment that you are in or being skeptical of the people or the ideals of said people that may be controversial or doesn't right with you. Now these are not foreign topics to the group but combining those elements with the concepts of isolation and especially death, these concepts truly hit home given the current landscape that we live in and how we navigate this time of isolation and quarantine. Especially when it comes to mental health and how it's been affected in this current landscape. It's a perspective that really hits home in the new year, and it's something that is truly intriguing.

"Voyeurist" musically and lyrically like was expressed is a dark and menacing record. It's a record that is both perplexing and haunting as Spencer Chamberlain and company take you through a record of grief and trauma while also delivering some of the heaviest music that the band has released in a very long time. The comparisons to both "Erase Me" and "Ø (Disambiguation)" can easily be made here, as the industrial tinged alternative rock style mixing with the low burn sludge metal and progressive metalcore style collide together and form what you hear musically on "Voyeurist", now mixing with some influences that one could hear on a record from the likes of Deftones, Tool, Meshuggah, and even some Muse is all thrown together to create the madness that is captured on tape.

The album's opener Damn Excuses comes into the limelight big time with a wide array of crunching guitars and bass, pounding drums, enthralling synths, and a presence of sure madness as lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain sets the bar high with a pissed off energy giving a very strong middle finger to corrupt religious individuals saying that they care when in reality they don't. It's the type of song that gets you amped up for what the rest of the record holds, and what it holds it does not hold back on. And that is sure madness.

Hallelujah continues to set the bar high with what the band describes as "high-def violence", and this song perfectly shows that off, as the ride of steady yet filthy guitars crash between calm and subdued sections while also getting pissed off and angry when they can. It's a perfect balance of rage and calm and it flows so beautifully.

I'm Pretty Sure... is a song that is not for the faint of heart as this track follows a very dark path for what seems like a failed 911 call from that of someone who has taken their own life. It's a song that while in theory is very subtle in its tendencies, it's that ending with the off the wall breakdown that shatters the speakers that ties everything together so perfectly and makes it one of the true stand outs on the entire record.

Cycle is a fun and enthralling moment that comes in swinging with some more loud and in your face guitars that continuously push and pull with a rhythm that is very reminiscent of the band's earlier works, most notable is "They're Only Chasing Safety" as the band has claimed that this song in particular is what that sound is but just with a modern lens, and it's perfect. And, with a chaotic and very fitting guest feature from Ghostemane, it's a track that is very fitting for the track list, and it's a fantastic ride that you never want to leave.

And now we get to the halfway mark and there lies both Thorn and No Oasis, a one-two combo that perfectly captures the entire tone of the record in one fell swoop. Where Thorn is a very melodic and fast paced track that sees that sludge metal influence shine through with some of the filthiest guitars that you ever hear on a Underoath album, it's No Oasis that ties the package together, as it's very subdued and subtle nature shows that darkness in a very artistic way and it is fascinating to hear. 

Take A Breath is the song will make you feel the most nostalgic. As it's riffs, structure, breakdown, and tone are very reminiscent to that of what is considered to their magnum opus and that is "Define the Great Line", as Take A Breath is this record's "DTGL" moment, and it is excellent. It rides a fine line with that signature sound and this new darker tone and manages to do wonders with both sounds' merits and works out in the record's favor.

Now, We're All Gonna Die unlike the rest of the record is very reminiscent to what you would have found on "Erase Me" and to this album's credit it's a welcomed change of pace. The more rocking style is a fun and upbeat tone shouting "Hey! we're all gonna die" as a rallying cry of self-defense to the toxic mindset that is plagued by depression and anxiety and crafts a really solid hard rock track that while is different from the rest of the record in terms of its style and tone, it's a very welcomed addition to the track list and definitely the one to seek out for the more "rockier" side of the band.

And now we get to Numb, A song that in reality becomes the cultivation of what "Voyeurist" is a in tern becomes the best song that the band has made in quite some time. Everything that you love about Underoath is all present and accounted for, from the grimy synths, to the sludgy and in your face guitar and bass, to the bombastic drums and percussion from nonother than Aaron Gillespie, to Spencer Chamberlain's fantastic cleans and screams. Numb is the song that will become a "scene" staple, and for very good reason because this song is that deserving of that title.

And finally, we get to Pneumonia. The song that perfectly closes this record out with a beautiful ode to Tim McTague's father who had passed to the illness prior, and this ode something that should be cherished. It's a song that beautifully closes things out with a 7-minute epic about yes losing someone that you loved but also trying to find the beauty in tragedy, whether it be losing a loved one or losing everything that you've ever had in one instance. It's a beautiful closer that gives the listener some hope and catharsis to what may seem as a dark and morbid place, knowing that there is still a light at the end of it all.

 In closing, this is arguably one of the band's best releases to date. It perfectly captures what a modern Underoath record should be while also still being bold in trying new things and not being afraid to push the boundaries on what can be on a metal record like this. It's a beautifully written, crafted, and well thought out release that while in the beginning may seem like a dark and brooding atmosphere, shining through with a hopeful atmosphere right at the end of the release and it is gorgeous.

Underoath are a masterclass in the scene culture. They are one of those bands who knows when to play to everyone's strengths and weaknesses and cultivates a beautifully told project that should be praised from front to back. "Voyeurist" is truly an incredible record that is all the more deserving of your time. - Samuel Cook

Rating: 4.5/5