Underoath want you to think they’re skull-crushingly heavy – that theirs is the sort of music predestined to be blared out of disaffected teen bedrooms and agitate nervous parents. It’s not. It’s the same trick the Used pulled with their self-titled debut; the pop hooks found on Underoath’s third album Define the Great Line give it away.

Oh, it’s certainly furious – guttural screaming is combined with sing-song patterns. It’s for this reason that the band have leaped onto the major labels, as underneath the aggressive intent are some genuinely strong songs that offer more than standard screamo fare. Opener “In Regards to Myself” is certainly more clichéd than most, but the strength of Define the Great Line is its depth.

Coming from the Xtian music scene of Florida, the band still show their roots occasionally – “Salmanir” and “There Could Be Nothing After This” explore theological ideas. What’s best about Define the Great Line is that the likes of the stripped-back and spoken-word “Salmanir” explore interesting production textures and different sounds to the band’s normal fare, showcasing just how far they’ve come since they debuted some four years ago.

Underoath aren’t there yet, but Define the Great Line gets them closer to where they need to go. The epic “Casting Such a Thin Shadow” shows just how good the band can be when they level their sound at and use it to their advantage, combining both power and panache. While Define the Great Line is a good record, Underoath are capable of being great.