Underoath devour KoKo
Underoath – KoKo – 11 March 2010
Words by Brendan Monteiro / Photo’s by Marcus Maschwitz
Underoath is a band that has become synonymous with heavy progressive sounds, yet nothing could prepare anyone for the crushing performance and onslaught they would unleash on the senses tonight. The Floridians may state that they are a little out of practice, having been off from touring for 2 months, but tonight they show no lack in form and put together an experience like none before.
As the cheers and whistles for Underoath soar during a morbid spoken word intro, it’s almost hard to hear what is actually being said, the crowd is on the brink of total chaos. As the band make their entrance with the final words echoing out,
tonight is the night that it all stops
If your hearing this
your already part of the experience
everything
that you have ever known
about seeing, hearing and feeling
is going to change
forever
and Spencer hurls them straight into The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed, what happens next is total carnage with the floor section expanding and contracting with the flow of the song like a human time bomb ready to explode. Spencer sets In Regards To Myself off like an A-bomb on the crowd, it goes to show his massive range and incredible lyrics. Lines like
So tear another page from the book
Are you asleep or just alone?
Clear this room from your lungs
Go hand in hand with Spencer’s intense vocal delivery of the words, making the end result all the more staggering. Unfortunately to me I think that Aaron’s vocal’s could of been brought up a notch and upon listening to the live CD that was on sale at the show this theory is further cemented for me. That’s not to say that his vocals were off in any way, it’s just that I feel his vocals are just important as Spencer’s and the juxtaposition between the two vocalist is vital to the beauty of Underoath. In saying that Aaron’s drumming was electrifying, never have I seen a drummer pound away so intensely and furiously and at the same time playing with so much style. Style isn’t a big thing but in a live setting where the band is on display visually as much as it is sonically it’s an added treat to see someone play with so much flair. He makes everything looks so easy, and to stick the knife in further he sings amazingly too.
As for the other members of Underoath, they all put in 110% and the energy levels are kept constant throughout the show. Tim thrashes the hell out of his guitar, while Chris Dudley wreaks havoc upon his array of keys, synths and sample tools. The set list is border line perfect, encompassing a fair amount from Lost In The Sound Of Separation, Define The Great Line and two classics from They’re Only Chasing Safety. As for crowd response and interaction, I think there was not one song that didn’t please. The fact that Underoath put so much effort into not just playing each song perfectly but also making sure that each song rolls fluidly into the next one just adds more ambience to the experience.
Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear is by far my favourite from Underoath’s latest release. I love the way it has some of the most visually alluring melody’s I have ever heard, if you close your eyes the soundscapes sort of take you off to a different world. Then just as you totally relax it catapults into a blazing and fervent ending. Tonight the experience of this song is all the more hair tingling as every member of the audience helps with the rhythm in the mid-section. The night ends and the sadness that it’s all over hits home, lucky enough it’s only for the brief journey home until I can get the Live album, ram it in my CD player and re-live the experience over and over again.
March 17th, 2010
The band is pretty active, frantic on stage but for me the real treat is the crowd singing and shouting along, usually pressing the stage.