Longtime Underoath Guitarist James Smith No Longer In The Band

After 20 years, Underoath guitarist James Smith is no longer in the band. 

The metalcore outfit, known for the tracks It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door, Writing On The Walls, Reinventing Your Exit and more, the band have released nine albums to date, with Smith working on seven albums since They’re Only Chasing Safety in 2004 and up until Voyeurist in 2022.

Smith’s departure from the band is looking messy, with the band stating that the reasons behind his leaving “isn't something that can or should be addressed” publicly.

"As some of you have noticed, James was not on the Blind Obedience tour and we want to clarify that we have officially decided to part ways," Underoath posted on Twitter a few days ago.

The statement continued, “We care for James, we want the best for him, and that will never change. There were differences we hoped we'd be able to work through that unfortunately, we realized [sic] weren't able to be.”

Late last month, Smith claimed that his departure wasn’t his choice. In a statement, he wrote, “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, has felt inspired, accepted, comforted, and energized [sic] by the music we created and the shows we performed together."

Smith’s wife, Jen issued her own statement the following day, Lambgoat reports. She indicated that there was more to the story, and anything that claimed there were “personal issues” behind his departure weren’t true. 

She wrote, “Whatever PR stories that come up going forward are their tall tales to tell. If you've heard 'personal issues,' 'work things,' or 'family stuff,' none of that is true.”

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— Underoath (@UnderoathBand) April 7, 2023