Soundwave alumni and groundbreaking metalcore act Underoath have announced plans to disband after 15 years together.
Well known in the Christian metal scene, the six-piece from Florida reached lofty heights in their career and made an undeniable impact on the face of heavy metal music, releasing seven acclaimed albums in total – including the Gold-certified mid-2000s releases They’re Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line.
To date global sales of Underoath’s seven albums have exceeded 1.3 million units, and they’ve been rewarded for their efforts with two Grammy nominations – in 2007 and 2010 respectively.
Underoath are also known for the enviable bond they formed with their huge fans base, becoming one of the earliest bands to adopt and use social media to connect with their fans. Their efforts saw Underoath become one of the first bands with 1 million ‘likes’ on Facebook as well as a tally of more than 70 million plays on MySpace.
“It’s sad to say that we feel like it’s time to close this chapter, but we have never seen things more clearly,” says vocalist Spencer Chamberlain. “These have been the best years of my entire life, and I owe that to every single person who ever supported this band along the way. This wasn’t a quick decision by any means. It’s just time for us to move on.”
“We don’t take this very lightly and it’s heartbreaking for all of us,” he continues. “But all good things must come to an end. We love all of you and hope to see you again soon.”
“Over the past decade or so of our lives, we have been able to live a dream traveling the world, playing music that excites us, and meeting more amazing people than we could have ever fathomed,” adds keyboardist Chris Dudley.
True to their reputation for touring around the United States and the world non-stop, including performances at Australia’s Soundwave Festival in 2012, the group have decided to go out with a bang by embarking on a farewell tour that will commence in 2013, featuring fan-favorite songs that span the entirety of Underoath’s career.
Underoath will also release a career retrospective album, Anthology 1999-2013 with tracks culled from their 1999 debut, Act of Depression, through the instant classics on 2010’s Ø (Disambiguation), giving fans one last chance to hear newly recorded material in the form of new tracks “Sunburnt” and “Unsound”, the final material recorded by the band.
“This couldn’t be a more bittersweet moment for us,” continued Dudley. “We have accomplished more, met more friends, seen more places and have just done more than we could have ever imagined, and we really wanted to just go out on the highest note possible.”
“That’s why we have put together a group of great friends and musicians for what will be our final tour ever. We are taking every moment of this tour as an opportunity to say goodbye to you all, as well as celebrate what has taken place over all these years.”
“The love we have and the debt of gratitude that we owe to all of you is not able to be measured in any way.”
That farewell tour will commence in 2013, featuring fan-favorite songs that span the entirety of Underoath’s career. Details of the tour will be announced by the band next week, and it is unclear whether Australia will be included in the schedule.
