Underoath part ways with long-time member James Smith after 20 years
Guitarist James Smith, a long-time member of Underoath, shared news of his exit from the band after 20 years. In a statement, Smith expressed his sadness and appreciation for the fans who have supported the band throughout the years.
Judging by the wording of the statement, Smith was "informed" of the decision, so it seems as though the decision was not his own, but a bigger decision made by the band. The remaining members of the band have not yet commented on the reason for Smith's departure, but Smith left a statement on social media thanking fans of the band for the memories.
"After 20 years of music and friendship, I was informed that I'm no longer a member of Underoath. This saddens me to say, but unfortunately is where we have ended up. I appreciate everyone who, at any moment in their lives, have felt inspired, accepted, comforted, and energized by the music we created and the shows we performed together. It has been my honor and privilege to be a part of your lives in that way though we may have never met or shared our stories face to face. Your dedicated, grace, and love for this band have allowed us to exist this long. The memories I have from this ride are more than anyone could ever expect in a lifetime, and I genuinely thank you all for being a part of it."
72 comments
Post CommentOne less person on salary. They will hire someone to play his parts for peanuts. Not very Christian of them
They kicked him out on the bands day off in the middle of a tour? Oooof
call me sauerkraut the way im fermenting in these news comments
" Not very Christian of them" If you tried to sound funny, you failed. They are not a Christian band anymore and haven't been since 2008. Get your facts right, dumbass.
Oh yeah I forgot they dropped that when they almost fired Spencer for doing drugs all summer with fat Mike on warped tour
Everyone is losing their job to AI. Even metalcore guitarists.
he should've left in 2006, they went downhill that year after, even then 🥱 bleh
You just know some new age dumb ass is going to take his place and not have a clue what's up but has a good "work ethic"
This is called a promotion where I am from.
There's a new Cattle Decapitation track dipshit. Maybe report what's new.
Saw them last night and they ripped with one guitarist. Made periphery sound and look like a bunch of nerds.
they were better before he ever joined
Guessing they replace him with some kid shredder they can pay in catering and "exposure"
when you get into one of these "bands", there's only a couple'a ways out. one...... is death, the other is a mental institution
Your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated your dedicated
I bet they had their manager fire him for them too
They found out he was the turnstile insider.
can't make a living off metalcore these days with 6 or 7 members like in the 00s. keyboardist will be next
Underoath parted ways with sounding good in 2010.. I heard the lyrics "teach me to let go" (so riveting) were to soften James up for his exit
Evan if you're still on these forums thinking you've got witty banter and people appreciate you. They don't. You're a sick f*ck for what you did to Kasey.
Aaron just doing what Aaron does. The original line up is gone due to him. This guy has always operated like this.
Maybe now he can go outside and get some sunshine. Dude pasty af.
"There's a new Cattle Decapitation track dipshit. Maybe report what's new." For real, this site sucks shit now
Marty from Zao here. If he wants he can tour with us instead of Russ.
How Christian of them to kick him out, rather than work with him.
Pussy ass band they can catch these hands -Scott Vogel
"Every time I'm on here seeing a piece go up about an artist there is something homophobic, transphobic, racist, or some other kind of bigoted just flying free there. So annoying." - some pussy
The guy should have took a walk on his own after what they just released. Imagine sitting behind a mixing board and hearing that steaming pile of excrement pumping through monitors. The mixer probably had PTSD after hours spent trying to get the levels right on the swirly noises the synth player added.
" Not very Christian of them" If you tried to sound funny, you failed. They are not a Christian band anymore and haven't been since 2008. Get your facts right, dumbass. Well they haven't been Underoath since 2003. So get your facts straight ya cock suckin new jack
This photo is tinted to the left and it looks sick.
Dude did no writing and also seemed like he didn't give a single f*ck about playing live. Stood like a bump on a log while everyone else lost their minds. He was essentially an incredibly boring travel guitarist.
Dude did no writing and also seemed like he didn't give a single f*ck about playing live. Stood like a bump on a log while everyone else lost their minds. He was essentially an incredibly boring travel guitarist. ^ lmao, you ain't wrong.
"So, that's it after 20 years? 'So long. Good luck'?" "I don't recall saying 'good luck'."
Dude did no writing and also seemed like he didn't give a single f*ck about playing live. Stood like a bump on a log while everyone else lost their minds. He was essentially an incredibly boring travel guitarist. ^ lmao, you ain't wrong. NOT WRONG
Aaron made it so James and Grant couldn't write even though they wanted to. This was a move by him and the bands manager Randy Nichols. James had to get a real job during covid because he wasn't salaried like the other guys and missed some shows because of it...this is why Aaron fired him. Ironically, Aaron left the band for a few years and still got paid his salary.
Aaron is a scumbag. He booted Dallas because he had a child out of wedlock. The reality is that move effectively gave him complete control of Underoath. That guy is a snake.
I remember watching the BTS doc from when Erase Me was made and this dude (plus Grant) wasn't even involved in the album at all. Apparently they would ocassionally consult him for this or that, but he didn't write or record anything on that album at least. Not sure about others.
Aaron is also the same guy who was saying in interviews that he was punching his leg so hard that he was visibly bruising himself during an argument with Spencer about how Spencer was singing more still on Erase Me and Aaron was having a full on identity crisis within the band because he wasn't singing as much as he used to
Now he's just among other past members. Other cries of the past.
"For real, this site sucks shit now" ^nu metalsucks
" Not very Christian of them" If you tried to sound funny, you failed. They are not a Christian band anymore and haven't been since 2008. Get your facts right, dumbass. LOL @ this schmekel above for thinking we should stay informed on the 'facts' of Underoath. Needed a good laugh. Thank you, loser!
Goo if you're still on these forums thinking you've got witty banter and people appreciate you. They don't. You're a sick f*ck for what you did to Goobert.
wife of james from underoath responds https://www.reddit.com/r/Underoath/comments/1263373/james_wifes_instagram_story/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1
" (plus Grant) wasn't even involved in the album at all. Apparently they would ocassionally consult him for this or that, but he didn't write or record anything on that album at least" Grant has responded to this years ago on his IG and he said that Tim recorded the bass instead of him because it sounded better with him, it is quite common for rhythm guitarists to do it because the person who wrote it is likely to play it better and the bass will sound tighter, and Grant was on board with that. On the Voyeurist album it was the same thing. Not sure about James tho, but he indeed played on Voyeurist.
"LOL @ this schmekel above for thinking we should stay informed on the 'facts' of Underoath. Needed a good laugh. Thank you, loser!" Well, you're complaining about staying informed about the band, yet you aparently know enough about them for """being Christian""", so you just contradicted yourself. Again, do your research next time, bitch.
Tim and Chris are great guys. Spencer probably is. Grant is fine and James was a nice dude. Quiet but nice. Aaron however is an absolute piece of certified crap. I watched the way he talked to fans over the years, the way he treated crew, the way he talked to venue staff, the way he treated other bands he was involved with, the way he treated servers in restaurants …… truly embarrassing. He's not a kind or considerate or genuine person and eventually someone will check him on his BS. I just wonder how people can continue to support him after being belittled and disrespected by him. He doesn't give a shit about any person that supports his band.
speaking of "kick..." may I kick a little something for the "G's?"
Does anyone still think these guys are Christians? Honestly I'm not sure they ever were. Look at their history. Sounds like Aaron got what he wanted again.
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