Longtime fans of the group Underoath are angry and confused; the band recently came back with their first album in eight years. However with that new album has come a new sound.

Formed in 1997, the group has largely stuck to mainstream Christian rock music and religious themes and lyrics. With Erase Me, their religious image has been challenged by their new material, which contains cursing and secular material. In an interview with Loudwire,vocalist Spencer Chamberlain indicates that the mixed reaction from the Christian community included a lot of anger from the fans’ part. He cites a difficult period in his life that made him change the way he looked at religion.

“[The Christian community] were some of the meanest, most alienating people we’ve ever worked with, especially in the music industry,” Chamberlain said. “Since 2006 on, when it came out that I had problems with drugs, there was never any help, it was just like, ‘Let’s crucify that guy. Look how terrible of an example of a Christian he is.’ Not one person offered to help me, it was just like, ‘Fuck that guy, let’s get him out of here.’”

After that experience it, seems less surprising that the band turned toward a uniform ideal that might sound downright controversial to the converted.

“Putting a religion on a band; we’re all six individuals, that’s really unfair,” Chamberlain said. “What if someone decides to go down a different path? What if someone has questions? What if someone maybe just doesn’t feel right with stuff anymore? I don’t think religion should be in music.”

Check out Loudwire’s full interview with Underoath in the video below.