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JFH Music Review




Underoath
Define the Great Line



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 11 tracks: 45 minutes, 50 seconds
Street Date: June 20, 2006


By far the most anticipated release of the year, Define the Great Line is Underoath's much talked about follow up to They're Only Chasing Safety a record that was quite possibly Tooth & Nail's biggest breakout release in the history of the label. So the pressure was on for the Northern Florida boys. They built a base a few years back with the hardcore carnage of The Changing of Times, but blew up when they went screamo on They're Only Chasing Safety. Can they possibly bridge the gap and bring fans of the former release up to speed without excluding those that fell in love with Underoath after hearing their latter effort?

The answer, clearly, is yes. Underoath has crafted a record that somehow still contains the accessibility of their last effort, but kicks everything up a notch. Spencer Chamberlain not only screams on Define the Great Line, he roars. Aaron Gillespie's drums are more intense and urgent, yet still precise. And everything in between has been stepped up. It is a sound that was only hinted at on They're Only Chasing Safety ("I Don't Feel Very Receptive Today," in particular). Rarely does it slow up, either. And when it seems to be losing steam, it is only a sign that another explosion is pending. This one allows for little to no breathing room.

Underoath's message has changed little since the last time we heard from them. There is a lot of discussion of our depravity, and a need for redemption. Differing from their last release, however, is the frequency at which God is addressed by name, though all are in exclamations of desperation. Most tracks express a lot of pain, weariness, and frustration, but not without the awareness that things need to change. And God's presence is never factored out of the equation no matter how rough things get. He is a constant source of redemption and is the only way to "wake up" (A metaphor repeated constantly on the album).

Whether or not Define the Great Line will be Underoath's defining effort is up to history to decide, and it is too soon to say. Emotional attachments to They're Only Chasing Safety aside, Underoath's latest is a solid piece of work that holds its own against previous records. Without a second's hesitation, the hardcore album of the year thus far is Define the Great Line, and I'd like to see another album challenge it.

- Review date: 06/20/06, written by Josh Taylor



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. Record Label: Solid State Records
. Album length: 11 tracks: 45 minutes and 50 seconds
. Street Date: June 20, 2006
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. In Regards to Self
  2. A Moment Suspended in Time
  3. There Could Be Nothing After This
  4. You're Ever So Inviting
  5. Salmamir
  6. Returning Empty Handed
  7. Casting Such a Thin Shadow
  8. Moving for the Sake of Motion
  9. Writing on the Walls
  10. Everyone Looks So Good from Here
  11. To Whom It May Concern
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This Friday, October 17, 2025
ALBUMS
ANTHNY DIARY ENTRY 1 [Provident]
Blanca Full Bloom [Curb]
Chris Blue Every Day Is Christmas [Gaither]
Geoff Moore and The Distance Foundations (Re-Release) [Girder]
Geoff Moore and The Distance A Place To Stand (Re-Release) [Girder]
Nate Parrish Make Me A Mountain (independent)
Psallos The New and Better Way: Hymns of Hebrews (independent)
Anne Wilson Stars [Capitol CMG]

SINGLES
F'rael God's Wheel (ft. TRYBISHOP) - Single [Syntax]
LEON Undefeated - Single [El Rescate Music]
No Vain Glory UNLEADED - Single [Syntax]
REFVGE, Cyfë II & WAY? U P W A R D S ft. Bianca Silver & Josh LeCroy - Single [Syntax]
Rhymes In Harmony & MAYIA My Sister - Single [Syntax]
Anton Scholl Born To Love You - Single [Near Kingdom]
Nathan Sheridan Don't Lose Hope - Single [WieRok]
SNT. VINCENT Feast of the Saints - Single [Syntax]
Vic Lucas, Essence Natay & Ashleey Barnes Let it Rain - Single [Syntax]
Zane Vickery All Things New - Single (independent)

DVD
Chris Blue Every Day Is Christmas DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, October 24, 2025
ALBUMS
John Allan untitled EP [Centricity]
Dan Bremnes The Villain - EP [Curb]
Clear Convictions Endure [Resuscitation]
Fepeste This World Ain't Mine to Change [Velvet Blue]
gio. FINE BY ME [Capitol CMG]
Tyson Motsenbocker Modern Worries [Tooth & Nail]
Smalltown Poets St. Augustine (independent)
Zahriya Zachary Rediscovery [Bethel]

SINGLES
29:11 Worship, Zion Rempel You Never Fail (feat. Emily Guy) - Single [DREAM]
Chad Cory, Zacardi Cortez My First Love (Remix) - Single [DREAM]
darthy Juniper Tree - Single [WieRok]
Emerson Day Midnight Hour - Single [Fair Trade]
Good Weather Forecast lows2highs - Single [DREAM]
Grace + Max Rich - Single [WieRok]
Mercy Tribe Music The King is in the Room (feat. Ayiesha Woods) - Single (independent)
Mountains in the Sea You Never Fail (feat. Emily Guy) - Single [DREAM]
Tomb Slayer The Christmas Lamb (feat. Khristian Dentley & Sarah Whittemore) - Single [Tomb Slayer]
The Undertaking! All Smiles - Single (independent)

VINYL
Clear Convictions Endure [Resuscitation]


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