Originating in Florida, Underoath is a band with a fascinating history. With roots dating back to 1997, the band has never truly been set on one sound and has changed from album to album. Evident even early on with albums like 2002’s The Changing of Times and 2004’s They’re Only Chasing Safety, anyone tuned into Underoath quickly learned to expect the unexpected.
Going on to massive success albums like 2006’s Define the Great Line, 2008’s Lost in the Sound of Separation, and 2010’s Ø (Disambiguation), they also toured with bands like Korn, Slipknot, Disturbed, and Papa Roach, while steadily grown a loyal international fanbase. However, many had thought this would be the end of the line for Underoath in 2012 because they announced their pending breakup in 2013.
A bit disappointing to fans, two years passed before Underoath reemerged to perform live, and at least new music followed with Erase Me in 2018. From here, they put out Voyeurist in 2022, but now, in 2025, they are back with The Place After This One.
The band’s tenth overall studio album, The Place After This One, arrived on March 28, 2025, through MNRK Heavy and comes with a bit of a buzz. Teasing fans in 2024 with appearances on tracks such as Bring Me The Horizon’s “A Bullet w/ My Name On,” Mitchell Tenpenny’s “Demon or Ghost,” and Des Rocs’ “In The Night,” they also put out their singles such as “Teeth” in September, “Survivors Guilt” in October, before “Generation No Surrender” in December.
Great ways to build anticipation, The Place After This One features twelve songs (including the three pre-released singles), again turning preconceptions of Underoath on its head. Opening with “Generation No Surrender,” the band greets you with strong and intense arrangements that might sound chaotic at first but are nothing less but fascinating. Adding some harmony to the chaos offers a brilliant texture to the album “Devil,” while “Loss” revives a mental mosh pit that takes turns with a circle pit, all combined with a catchy chorus.
Meanwhile, “Survivor’s Guilt” is perfect for live shows coming at you with a strong chorus that almost sounds like an anthem. You can also hear the passion on “All The Love Is Gone,” with a great bridge and chorus, before “And Then There Was Nothing” raises your adrenaline level with intense arrangements and loud rhythms.
Then there is the electronic “Teeth,” “Shame,” with a very catchy chorus, and the highly relatable “Spinning in Place.” Looking at “Spinning in Place” closer, the lyrics dig deep and might open some deep wounds, but in contrast, the arrangements are somehow empowering and motivating. A very interesting dynamic, moving onto “Vultures,” Underoath invited Troy Sanders of Mastodon before hooking you with “Cannibal” and sending you off haunted with the hypnotic “Outsider.”
Overall, The Place After This One is a loaded album. All songs carry strength and energy that stick with you. That being said, while it might seem and sound a little chaotic at first, once you take it all in and listen again, the chaos clears, and you can feel what is behind. Multi-layered, CrypticRock The Place After This One 5 out of 5 stars.
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