The Alternative Star.com

Underoath @ The Garrick 03/12/09

Underoath is a band that has visited Winnipeg somewhat regularly over the last few years and it really is appreciated, too bad more of their peers from the States don’t follow suit. That said this also isn’t the first time I’ve seen the band. The last time was actually when they hit the road with Armor For Sleep and Taking Back Sunday back in 2007.

As a headliner this time around, like they were back in 2006, the band has risen to the occasion, delivering a heavy, head banging set filled with a lot of the tunes from Define the Great Line and Lost in the Sound of Separation. More melodic tunes like “It’s Dangerous Business Walking out Your Front Door” off of They’re Only Chasing Safety took more of a backseat however. Front man Spencer Chamberlain also didn’t spit continuously spit water onto the crowd. Either way, the band was still overly energetic and fun to watch, especially the band’s cheerleader/keyboardist Chris Dudley. The band did also have a much more intricate stage set up. This included a large white screen that flashed their logo and plenty of imagery from their latest record, including a clip of some very pale people wandering around before the band hit the stage. The band played for about an hour in total, closing off the set with” Writing on the Walls,” probably the band’s biggest hit that even made its way onto the radio stations in the city.

The opening bands weren’t as enticing sadly. Norma Jean, another Christian metalcore band hailing from the Deep South was the second band to hit the stage. There band some pretty killer breakdowns though. And the band decided to jump onto the amp stacks, which were piled pretty high but other than that, there wasn’t much separating them from every other metalcore act out there.

Innerpartysystem were the token band on the tour and anything but heavy. The group will no doubt remind you of Head Automatica meshed with some Muse and they were actually pretty amusing. With their sparkly light show and poppy melodies, they turned the room into more of a dance party than a mosh pit, acting as a promising start to the night.

Final Verdict?

3/5 

Check out an interview with guitarist James Smith here!

Review by Deborah Remus