After drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie’s departure, Underoath was left in the conspicuous position of having no remaining original band members. But that didn’t stop them from heading back to the studio to record this album. There must have been a lot of pressure for the line-up to justify their existence, and with Ø (Disambiguation) they only partially succeed (which means, of course, that they don’t really). There is brutal beauty to be found here though.

It’s the kind that bands like Deftones and Thrice do so well, only without the same razor-sharp focus or dripping atmosphere. Guitarist Timothy McTague has taken over the duty of providing clean vocals to compliment Spencer Chamberlain’s rough screams. while he’s serviceable, you really feel the absence of Gillespie. That’s because Gillespie provided the melodic anchor in Underoath’s sea of layered, metallic chaos. Without anything to cut through their dense sound, the band sounds a little too droney, lacking an edge. In the end, this is an album full of math-metal: technically impressive, but lacking in heart and soul.

Two and a half stars out of five.