Whether you describe this type of {\alternative rock} as {\screamo}, {\post-hardcore}, or melodic {\hardcore}, albums like {^They're Only Chasing Safety} are all about contrasts -- heaven contrasting with hell, melody contrasting with sledgehammer brutality, "normal" singing (whatever "normal" is) contrasting with tortured, agonized, death-all-over-your-face screaming. This {\screamo}/{\post-hardcore}/melodic {\hardcore} approach is quite different from full-fledged {\metalcore}; while {\metalcore} units like {$Hatebreed}, {$Brick Bath}, and Finland's notoriously ferocious {$Rotten Sound} go right for the jugular, {$Underoath} and similar bands prefer to mix honey with vinegar. Overall, the Tampa, FL, residents do a decent job of integrating the honey and the vinegar on {^They're Only Chasing Safety}, which is their first album since {$Spencer Chamberlain} replaced {$Dallas Taylor} as lead singer. After {$Taylor}'s departure in 2003, some fans had strong reservations about {$Underoath} carrying on without him. But {$Chamberlain} has no problem taking over the lead vocalist spot on this 2004 release, and he seems to have a firm grasp of the sort of good cop/bad cop and heaven/hell contrasts that characterize a {\screamo} disc like {^They're Only Chasing Safety}. Of course, the {\screamo} aesthetic is hardly unique to {$Underoath}; anyone who has spent time listening to {$Nora}, {$From Autumn to Ashes}, {$Hopesfall}, or {$School for Heroes} will see the parallels between {$Underoath} and those bands. But lyrically, one thing that separates {$Underoath} from other {\screamo} outfits is their Christian orientation. Not that the Floridians beat listeners over the head with Christianity -- if anything, their Christian references are subliminal on this CD, which explains why secular audiences have been receptive to them. {^They're Only Chasing Safety} is mildly uneven -- some of the tunes hold up better than others -- but more often that not, it's a respectable outing from this post-{$Taylor} edition of {$Underoath}. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide