Define the Great Line
| Define the Great Line | ||||
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| Studio album by Underoath | ||||
| Released | June 20, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | January–March 2006 at Zing Recording Studios, Westfield, MA; Glow in the Dark, Atlanta, GA | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:58 | |||
| Label | Tooth & Nail | |||
| Producer | Matt Goldman, Adam Dutkiewicz, and Underoath | |||
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| Special Edition cover | ||||
Cover for the Special Edition of Define the Great Line, which includes a bonus DVD.
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| Singles from Define the Great Line | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
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"Writing on the Walls"
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Alternative Press | |
| Cross Rhythms |  |
| Drowned in Sound | 5/10 |
| TheFish | highly favorable |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | |
| Kerrang! | |
| Punknews.org | |
| Sputnikmusic | 4/5 |
| HM Magazine | "nearly perfect" |
Define the Great Line is the fifth album by American metalcore band Underoath. The album was released in the United States on June 20, 2006, along with a limited edition version containing exclusive artwork and DVD. For the recording of this album, Underoath's usual producer, James Paul Wisner, was replaced by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage and Matt Goldman. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 charts selling over 98,000 copies in its first week, and within a week of its release it became the highest charting Christian album on the Billboard 200 since 1997.
The title of the album, according to keyboardist Christopher Dudley, comes from "defining that line for yourself between becoming the man or the woman that you want to be and the man or the woman other people want you to be."Alternative Press used the title as an example of how on this album Underoath seemed "acutely aware of the line that separates their spiritual core from the painful reality of being human," and how "even successful musicians need help staying on the right side of that line."
Unlike They're Only Chasing Safety, Define the Great Line was written by both Spencer Chamberlain (vocals) and Aaron Gillespie (drums).Alternative Press noted Chamberlain's lyrical presence, saying that "between Chamberlain's deeply troubled writing and drummer/singer Aaron Gillespie's, Define sounds like a group-therapy session put to tape."
For its lyrics the band maintained its focus on Christianity and personal struggles, and according to Josh Taylor of Jesus Freak Hideout the big difference was "the frequency at which God is addressed by name," though all of these mentions were in "exclamations of desperation." The main lyrical themes of the album expressed pain, weariness, and frustration, "but not without the awareness that things need to change." These themes were praised by Allmusic, which stated that "while Underoath explore their faith with both reverence and suspicion, something that sets them apart from the polarizing righteousness of many CCM acts, their crossover potential remains huge, as the prevailing themes of isolation, anger, introspection, and the quest for self-confidence are universal." According to the band the lyrics are "deeply personal" to Chamberlain and relate to things in his life 'that have molded him into the person he is today.'
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Wikipedia