With 2004’s They’re Only Chasing Safety and 2006’s Define The Great Line available to all, the post-hardcore band from Tampa, Florida, has rocked the Vans Warped Tour and scoured the stage with its crushing sound. Having morphed from a heavy metal sound in the late 1990s, the band now sports Spencer Chamberlain’s screams, as well as Aaron Gillespie’s vocals. Well-received by fans, and a solid member of the Warped Tour, they created a stir this summer by backing out of the tour, citing a need to focus on their friendship, amidst NOFX frontman’s ridicule from onstage. NOFX singer Michael Burkett told Alternative Press that the band was struggling with differences in their own religious beliefs, most of which he disagreed with.

This lead to rumors that the band was breaking up over differences, but their official Myspace site recently posted the following message: “Don’t believe the rumors, Underoath did not break up, no one has been kicked out or quit or in rehab or any other silly places people are talking about. The dudes are getting ready to do their Canadian tour and then Taste of Chaos,” etc.

But who are these guys? And does it matter that they scream all the team? Listen to these thoughts by Spencer Chamberlain from his interview with Alternative Music Press.

When asked what the message of Define the Great Line is, Chamberlain says that the band hopes to open the minds of people compared to the everyday stuff that is going on around them. “Every situation that is dealt with in life, for me, ever since I became a Christian a few years ago, the outcome, the outlook is different,” he says. “It’s never too late to make things right or to try to better yourself, no matter how bad you have it you can…there’s some sort of light at the end of the tunnel. You know, there’s a way to pull yourself out of the situation.”

Chamberlain goes on to detail how they turned down offers from a few major labels so that they could continue to make their own writing decisions. Having seen that some labels would censor what they had to say, they chose to maintain their independence writing-wise, even if the music is darker, more honest. Similarly, the group has espoused a personal relationship with God, without allying itself to different denominations or even church in general. “Organized religion has made up all this stuff that, you know, it’s not necessary. You have a personal issue with God, and you do your own thing.”

Skirting specific issues that the band had been called out on, Chamberlain says instead that he is going to love people no matter what. “It’s not about judging people and everyone comparing themselves to each other,” and later, “Why should I have a right to judge them for something, that it’s their personal business, whatever, you know?”