Underøath – Voyeurist (Review)

Comebacks are always risky. With every release after the first hiatus, there’s this question “Was it worth a comeback?”.

Voyeurist is the second album since Underøath‘s comeback in 2019. Their last album Erase Me was not my cup tea to be honest. Although it had two or three decent songs on it, it lacked the punch (production-wise) of the previous albums and the songs just didn’t get me.

Voyeurist will get you, in an instant, promised.

From the first seconds on, you’ll notice that Voyeurist is a lot heavier in sound and style than its predecessor. The opener “Damn Excuses” sounds as great and powerful as Define the Great Line or Lost in the Sound of Separation and wouldn’t be out of place on those records.

“Hallelujah” is a song Bring Me the Horizon could have used on their last EP as well. Heavy use of electronics as well as angelic choirs and the chorus is catchy as hell. Underøath sound as catchy as they haven’t been in a long time, the aforementioned “Hallelujah“, “Take a Breath” or “Numb” are even more prime examples of Underøath creating hard-hitting yet incredibly accessible music.

“I’m pretty sure I’m out of Luck and have no Friends” is another electric-laden song, at least during the first half. After that, it more and more shifts into this massive, all-crumbling-riff-finale. Keyboardist Chris Dudley has a much more prominent role on this album in general and “Thorn” is another example for his great use keyboards and electric effects.

The album closer “Pneumonia” sounds like a sequel to “To whom it may concern” off Define the Great Line: very slow burning and atmospheric. An album closer couldn’t be more fitting than this one, definitely a highlight in Underøath‘s discography.

Voyeurist is an excellent album. Everything you love about Underøath is present here: great melodies and the captivating chaos that is seldomly reached in this genre. Every fan will surely be pleased and glad that Underøath are back and still release outstanding music.