As far as screamo metal bands go, Underoath has to be considered the most popular around. Their last two albums, They’re Only Chasing Safety and Define The Great Line, have allowed them to achieve sizable popularity in both the mainstream and with the diehard Warped Tour concert goers. And even after some controversy as to whether or not they were going to even stay together as a band, Underoath has weathered the storm and recorded a new album that will be released this fall. But until then, a new live album, Survive, Kaleidoscope, should keep their biggest fans interested.
Survive, Kaleidoscope sees the band perform all of their most popular songs from their previous two albums in various places throughout the country for their adoring fans. One would expect that an act that relies so much on heavy production values and elaborate screaming wouldn’t be able to replicate that sound too well in a live environment, but Underoath pulls it off pretty well. The sound captured on this album doesn’t stray too much from what’s been heard from them in the recording studio.
Moreover, this live record succeeds because it really does a great job of picking up on the band’s ferociousness and emotional intensity, which is obviously a major aspect of their live efforts. All of their best songs – "Moving For The Sake of Motion," "A Moment Suspended In Time," and "A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black and White" – standout just as much here as they did on their respective studio albums, if not better.
As with any live album from a band with a fanatic audience, Survive, Kaleidoscope includes the typical screaming crowd audio: the fans singing along in place of the band members and a bit of banter back and forth between the audience and the band members. Sometimes it adds a cool layer to the track, sometimes it annoys, but that’s expected.
If you’ve experienced their live show, it’s obvious that Underoath has always been a band that deserved to have a live album. Their energy and presence on stage is almost unmatched within the scene, and Survive, Kaleidoscope accomplishes all that perfectly.
