Post-hardcore titans Underoath owe their existence, quite literally, to God. Had the band's co-founding guitarist, Luke Morton, not crossed paths with Aaron Gillespie (Underoath's drummer, clean vocalist and present figurehead) during church services in their Ocala, Florida hometown — they may have evaded rock stardom entirely.
But the pair did meet — and together with a few friends from high school, Underoath embarked on a mission to bring riff-enabled worship all over the world. Now, 15 years, one breakup, and numerous lineup changes later, the recently rebooted Underoath have begun to question the foundations of their faith.
In the short video clip above, produced by VEVO, Gillespie and lead singer Spencer Chamberlain question the religious institutions of their youth — and make stark observations regarding the true identity of Jesus ("He was not a white man," declares the former) and the psychological side-effects of Christian fundamentalism.
"If I were still a Christian, I'd probably be dead," Chamberlain says somberly.
Underoath have a slew of dates coming up in support of this spring's Erase Me LP, their first album in eight years. Check out the full itinerary here.
Below, watch Underoath's Spencer Chamberlain discuss how Underoath's loss of faith paved the way for their artistic rebirth:
