Underoath was a much different band at their inception than the post-hardcore/metalcore hybrid they are currently. Their first two releases, which some fans still swear by (Act Of Depression and Cries of the Past), were early metalcore albums with some serious black and death metal influences – in fact, you could probably call both albums closer to the latter.
It was on The Changing Of Times, though, that the band started finding their ideal sound. Vocalist Dallas Taylor’s screams were more refined, and the young band now played a style of post-hardcore that was often imitated by those that came after. The album went on to outsell and gain far more popularity than their previous two records, and it’s really the one that launched the band into the public consciousness. It set the stage for their 2004 breakout album They’re Only Chasing Safety. It even had a big single in album opener “When The Sun Sleeps”, which especially was a prelude to the direction they’d take on the next album.
Stream the whole album below – it’s certainly worth exploring the primal origins of a highly influential band.
