Photo: Jeff Gros

Underoath wsg August Burns Red
The Orbit Room, Grand Rapids
Dec. 4, doors at 6:30 p.m.
$20 advance, $23 day-of

The members of Underoath keep their lips shut when it comes to divulging the meaning of its lyrics to fans.

"...a lot of times I don't want to tell someone exactly what the song is about. You can vaguely tell it's about a bad situation or some sort of scenario like that," said Spencer Chamberlain, vocalist for the band.

Chamberlain goes further into detail behind his reasoning. He gives the example of going back and asking some of his favorite bands what their lyrics - lyrics that got him through tough times - meant.

"I would probably find out that they have nothing to do with my life," he said. "Sometimes if a kid asks me what a song is about exactly, it just depends. Sometimes I'll say, ‘Well, what do you think it's about?' That way I don't ruin it for them."

It's those lyrics, which cover universal topics such as depression, physical or substance abuse, family problems and tough times in general, that gave Underoath - often noted as a Christian band - such a broad fan base.

"Lyrics are what people are going to relate to 99 percent of the time. I would think most kids get something out of the lyrics, and it's a lot of kids going through tough times...that relate to us the most."

Regardless of the band's rising success - which includes a Grammy nomination, and cracking the Billboard Top 10 with its latest album, Lost in the Sound of Separation - its members are still content staying with Solid State Records, a subsidiary of Tooth and Nail.

"I can feel that at least we do what we want to do," Chamberlain said in regard to being content with the band's label. "We don't have to listen to anybody, and do what someone's telling you to do. That's more important to me than being a bigger band, like being able to actually write the music that I want to write and not having some 40-year-old dude telling me that ‘that's not gonna sell,' or ‘I won't put that on the radio,' like, I don't really care."

Currently, Underoath is on tour, playing shows that Chamberlain describes as "more of an experience than a normal show." For its shows, Underoath uses a projection screen to show video recordings, as well as uses lights to accompany its music. Catch the experience when Underoath makes a stop at the Orbit Room on Dec. 4.