The groundbreaking metalcore band UNDERØATH have decided to call it a day, following a remarkable 15-year career that made a monumental impact on millions of fans and forever changed the face of modern rock music.
“It’s sad to say that we feel like it’s time to close this chapter, but we have never seen things more clearly,” says vocalist Spencer Chamberlain. “These have been the best years of my entire life, and I owe that to every single person who ever supported this band along the way. This wasn’t a quick decision by any means. It’s just time for us to move on.”
The band is closing an era, during which it served as a pillar of the alternative music scene. UNDERØATH have formed an indelible bond with their massive fan base through relentless touring in front of sellout audiences on six continents, as well as the early adoption and mastery of social networking that helped bridge the divide between band and fan.
The Tampa, Florida-based group released seven acclaimed albums in total – including the Gold-certified mid-2000s releases ‘They’re Only Chasing Safety‘ and ‘Define the Great Line‘ – that collectively yielded several groundbreaking videos, Grammy and Dove Award nominations.
On the long treacherous road to becoming one of hard rock’s biggest success stories, UNDERØATH created a deep and enduring culture surrounding its music and message and became that rarest of things in the music world: a band that actually meant something, to millions of fans around the globe.
UNDERØATH will cap its incredible run with the release of a career retrospective album, Anthology 1999-2013 – which is set to be released on November 6th. With tracks culled from their 1999 debut, ‘Act of Depression‘, through the instant classics on 2010’s ‘Ø (Disambiguation)‘, ‘Anthology 1999-2013‘ is an must-have collection of songs that celebrates the evolution of this revolutionary band.
pushing ‘Anthology 1999-2013‘ beyond a mere retrospective, the release gives fans one last chance to hear newly recorded material in the form of new tracks ‘Sunburnt’ and ‘Unsound’.
“Over the past decade or so of our lives, we have been able to live a dream traveling the world, playing music that excites us, and meeting more amazing people than we could have ever fathomed,” says keyboardist Chris Dudley. “This couldn’t be a more bittersweet moment for us. We have accomplished more, met more friends, seen more places and have just done more than we could have ever imagined, and we really wanted to just go out on the highest note possible. That’s why we have put together a group of great friends and musicians for what will be our final tour ever. We are taking every moment of this tour as an opportunity to say goodbye to you all, as well as celebrate what has taken place over all these years. The love we have and the debt of gratitude that we owe to all of you is not able to be measured in any way.”
That farewell tour will commence in 2013, featuring fan-favorite songs that span the entirety of UNDERØATH’s phenomenal career. Further details are set to be announced next week.
“We don’t take this very lightly and it’s heartbreaking for all of us,” Chamberlain says, following the band’s announcement, “but all good things must come to an end. We love all of you and hope to see you again soon.”
