ALBUM REVIEW

Under Oath:
Define the Great Line

UnderOath's new album is all about defining lines. But what defines music as Christian music? Listeners would do well to grapple with that question before picking up Define the Great Line.

Define opens with a really promising heavy guitar on In Regards to Myself. Then senses are jarred with Spencer Chamberlain's screams calling the listener to "Wake up, wake up". As if anyone could sleep through that.

A Moment in Time has some very interesting guitar riffs, if you can separate them from the screamo on top of them. Tim McTagues's guitar is really the high point of this album. If you're able to listen past the lead, there is very good musicianship behind it. There's also an excellent melodic part by Aaron Gillespie in the middle of the song that's continued behind the screaming.

There Could Be Nothing After This is one of the few screamers whose lyrics are clear. "Do you want to see me disappear?" Lyrically, it's reaching out to the metalheads that are hurting. Chamberlain gets a chance to show off his range, and he's actually singing on much of the song. Nothing seems to go on and on, but it's actually You're Ever So Inviting. The two songs are very similar and if it wasn't for the short pause, you might not know they weren't one song.

Salmarnir slows things up a bit, and is the only blatantly Christian song on the CD. Unfortunately, the lyrics are sung in Russian. While it's a beautiful language when set to music, most of us will have to look for a translation. There's something distinctly early David-Bowie about this cut, and musically it's definitely one of the better tracks. Of the sometimes obscurity of the lyrics, Gillespie says, "I don't want just to be marketed as a Christian band because I think we go beyond that."

Returning Empty Handed goes back to the hardcore sound. The guitars and percussion here are tight and rhythmic, but the song goes nowhere. It lacks a melody and is more of a jam than a song.

The first four minutes of Casting Such a Thin Shadow are a rock delight, but you can't relax and enjoy the concert because you're waiting for the shoe to fall. It does. But even the rage in the lead vocal cannot detract from a truly lovely song. McTague and Smith's guitar set a great mood that is echoed in Grant Brandell's bass. Without a doubt, musically the best cut on the album.

Moving for the Sake of Motion and the following two cuts seem to blend into one long screeching diatribe. They're the hardest songs on the album and are a constant barrage on your senses. Whether there is good musicianship here or not is difficult to ascertain. All three songs lack a discernable melody, and feel like filler.

To Whom it May Concern closes out the album with a long (7 minute +) song. It begins with a slow, haunting melody and a choral sound mixed back, but at 3:00 it morphs into a completely different cut, complete with violent yelling and heavy guitars. It comes back down into the previous gentle refrains. This is a good closer, and is probably great in concert.

The bottom line is that metalcore and screamo fans will enjoy Define the Great Line for the music, regardless of what the lyrics may or may not convey. The music behind the screaming is tight, with some really excellent guitars. It's unfortunate that the method chosen to deliver it renders the line between Christianity and the world undefined.

LYRICS SHOWCASE

In Regards to Myself

Wake up, Wake up, my God
This is not a test and it's too late to come clean
Get it off your chest
So steady your hand before your face and concentrate
There's got to be some stable ground left to walk on

So tear another page from the book
Are you asleep or just alone
Clear this room from your lungs
Pull yourself together
Pull yourself together, man
Pull yourself together
Pull yourself together

On your back, you're sleeping in a bed of shame
Let the light breathe some new life into this room
It's what keeps you coming back
Made up of insatiable taste
Bury your head in your hands and sink into yourself

Just what are you so afraid of?
What're you so afraid of
You're staring truth in the face, so come on down
What're you so afraid of

You're busy living now, aren't you?
You're busy making vows
You're coming unglued
Time is shorter than you know
I know the light is blinding to the naked eye,
So why don't you take steps away from being alone
I swear it's not too late for you

It's all worth reaching for
It's all worth reaching for
It's all worth reaching for the hand to pull you out
It's all worth reaching for the hand to pull you out
Wake up Wake up Wake up
And step outside your box
Wake up, Wake up