Spencer Chamberlain
Spencer Chamberlain | |
|---|---|
 Chamberlain performing at 2008's Mayhem Festival. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | January 4, 1983 Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Genres | Christian metal, metalcore, post-hardcore, CCM |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Tooth & Nail, Solid State, Indianola Records |
Spencer Chamberlain (born January 4, 1983) is an American musician, best known as lead vocalist for the metalcore band Underoath. Before fronting Underoath, Chamberlain was also the vocalist for the band This Runs Through in which his brother, Phil Chamberlain, was the drummer.
Background
Spencer Chamberlain was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina,[1] and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his mother, and older brother, Phil (also a musician as the drummer for now-defunct Sullivan and current drummer for To Speak of Wolves). As a child, Chamberlain's family was well to do and had enough money to pay tuition at Greensboro Day School. Chamberlain's parents divorced when he was in elementary school at Greensboro Day School. Chamberlain also struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. He tells Alternative Press, "You know how some people have a good family or a girlfriend that's always there for them and never fails? That was [what] drugs [were] for me. That was my weakness." [2] He particularly had problems with a serious addiction to cocaine. Chamberlain soon went on to Page High School. Shortly after graduating high school, he moved to Florida.[1] He continued to struggle, until his step brother, a pastor, introduced him to Christianity. Although Chamberlain hadn't grown up in a tightly knit Christian home and avoided religion most of his childhood, he claims it is half of what saved him, the other being music.
Music
Before Chamberlain joined Underoath he was in a band based out of Greensboro, North Carolina called, NINE DOWN &This Runs Through. They released a 5 song EP titled Until Forever Finds Me.
In late 2003, former lead vocalist of Underoath, Dallas Taylor (currently the vocalist for Maylene and the Sons of Disaster), left the band. Later in October of that same year at the CMJ Fest, Chamberlain took the stage as the new lead vocalist. During the early months of 2004, the band recorded their first album with Chamberlain and their second record for Solid State Records.[citation needed]
Chamberlain has released four albums with Underoath, They're Only Chasing Safety (2004), Define the Great Line (2006), Lost in the Sound of Separation (2008), and Ø (Disambiguation) (2010). When Define the Great Line was released on June 20, 2006, it sold 98,004 copies within its first week and debuted on the Billboard 200 Chart at #2.[3] After They're Only Chasing Safety, Chamberlain worked with Melissa Cross to add deeper screaming into the mix. Chamberlain then noted that his vocals on Define The Great Line sound less like imitations of Dallas Taylor's vocals, and more similar to the vocals that he used in his previous band, This Runs Through. His evolved vocals came with the help of Melissa Cross, who coached Chamberlain and refined his "growl". Alternative Press noted, "his bellow [is] more carnal and guttural, [and] his high end more tuneful than whiny. Now when Chamberlain's relating those things that eat at the edges of his conscience and his soul, he has the kind of multi-faceted caterwaul to convey that despair." The article also comments on his songwriting, saying that it "reaches inward, confronting every ugly crevice of his being, often emerging from the clash furious and disoriented, but hopeful."
In 2010, Chamberlain made a guest appearance on the track "Quercus Alba" by To Speak of Wolves. The song is included on their debut album Myself < Letting Go. Chamberlain's brother, Phil is the drummer for the band.
In 2013, Underoath played their final show and since broke up. However, his Twitter account spectates that he will be releasing new material by himself, as well as playing non-Underoath shows. [4]
Discography
- With This Runs Through
- Until Forever Finds Me (EP) (2003)
- With Underoath
- They're Only Chasing Safety (2004)
- Define the Great Line (2006)
- Survive, Kaleidoscope (2008)
- Lost in the Sound of Separation (2008)
- Live at Koko (2010)
- Ø (Disambiguation) (2010)
- Anthology: 1999–2013 (2012)
References
- ^ a b "Profiles". Underoath. Archived from the original on 2007-05-16. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ Staddon, Tristan (2006). Underoath. Alternative Press.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Billboard Chart". Billboard Chart. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
- ^ https://twitter.com/wschamberlain/status/297863843198140418
External links
- 1983 births
- 21st-century American singers
- American Christians
- American heavy metal guitarists
- American heavy metal singers
- American performers of Christian music
- American tenors
- Converts to Christianity
- Living people
- Musicians from North Carolina
- People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- People from Greensboro, North Carolina
- Singers from Florida