UNDEROATH reinvents the balance between chaos and harmony with each successive release. Their compositions, conjured from creative tension, become iconoclastic anthems. Even when the band almost combusts, the crackling energy coalesces into something deeply resonant for millions. Each time they have a chance to do something safe, Underoath challenges themselves instead, with integrity and attitude. Their pair of gold albums and three Grammy nominations stand in stark defiance of the idea of commercial compromise. The Underoath catalog weaponizes noise, aggression, and ambiance as skillfully as melody. The combination of heaviness and headiness found on Define the Great Line makes it the only record of its kind to debut at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The passion and power are as undeniable on tours with Alice In Chains or Bring Me The Horizon as they are in the sweatiest of intimate shows or their genre-redefining runs on Vans Warped Tour. Erase Me (2018) reintroduced Underoath to the world with straightforward riffs and melodies. It’s an almost uplifting album, though not devoid of the confessional desperation powering their songs. The band described Voyeurist (2022) as “high-def violence.” Placing it among the Top 25 Albums of 2022, alongside records from Slipknot, Ghost, and Meshuggah, Revolver called it “brilliantly unhinged.” The heart of their sound, which delivers naked vulnerability with thrilling force and cinematic lushness, can be heard in generations of bands who’ve pursued their trail. But Underoath refuses to sit still. A provocative and inspiring musical missive, “LET GO” ushers in a new era for the band. Walking an artistic tightrope between immersive access and isolationist otherness, Underoath owns the space between huge choruses and forward-thinking heaviness, both on record and onstage.

August Burns Red is likely the only metal act ever described as “thrillingly empathetic” (Kerrang!). It’s a testament to the ferocious band’s ability to recognize and connect with the mixture of brokenness and hope found in their audience and within themselves. A hard-working collective with a shockingly stable lineup for the vast majority of their career, August Burns Red pour every ounce of themselves into their music. Atmospheric, riff-laden, aggressive bursts of controlled chaos, filled with shifting time signatures and tempos, deliver confessional, self-reflective, and authentic emotion. Songs like “White Washed,” “Marianas Trench,” “Invisible Enemy,” and “Paramount” are undeniable anthems.   Tour stops with Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive, and Bring Me the Horizon; several major international hard rock festivals (Rock Am Ring, Download, and Aftershock, to name a few); and the Vans Warped Tour are among the destinations around the world to witness ABR’s live prowess.   Massive headlining treks celebrating 10-year anniversaries for Messengers, Constellations, and Leveler demonstrated the enduring relevance of the band’s catalog, nearly 20 years into ABR’s storied career. 2020’s Guardians debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Music, Rock Albums, and Vinyl Albums charts.   Revolver, who put the band on their cover the same year, observed August Burns Red “embrace the pain so well.” It’s a truth never more evident than on Death Below, their stunning tenth studio album. Recorded with longtime producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland, Death Below encompasses all of the pissed-off strength of the band’s past without sacrificing an ounce of catchy, melodic might.   Death Below boasts guest appearances from ABR allies Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage), Spencer Chamberlain (Underoath), Jason Richardson (All That Remains), and JT Cavey (ERRA).   “It’s getting difficult for the members of August Burns Red to keep one-upping themselves,” marveled Billboard shortly before Guardians arrived. With Death Below, they emerge victorious again.