Hard-core phenomenon Underoath has many ambitions, but selling out venues is not one of them.

“We’re over the whole ‘let’s try to get as big as we can and make a lot of money and get screwed.’ We’ve seen a lot of bands do that and now they’re paying dearly for it,” said lead guitarist Tim McTague. After 2004’s “They’re Only Chasing Safety” sold 350,000 copies and turned the band into one of the biggest in the industry, McTague said the band was flashed a lot of money by a lot of labels.

After ultimately deciding it needed a label that would foster and cherish its music as much as band members did, Underoath decided to stay with Tooth & Nail Records to produce its highly anticipated new album, “Define the Great Line.”

M-shop coordinator and local music aficionado Eric Hutchison said he’s almost having kittens in anticipation of the new album.

“I hear it’s going to take hard-core to the next level,” he said.

Critics across the musical spectrum hailed the band’s last album for doing the impossible and breaking down the barriers between hard-core, pop, metal and emo.

To slab another layer of icing on the cake, Underoath also happens to be Christian – and proud of it. Although Christian bands are often tossed aside and dismissed as crappy music or avoided because they are “different,” Underoath has somehow crept its way onto the iPods and CD players of people across the globe.

“I feel like I want people to know we’re a Christian band,” said frontman and vocalist Spencer Chamberlain of the band’s collective devotion. “But at the same time I don’t like tacking God or the fact that we’re Christian onto something to sell more records. I don’t want just to be marketed as a Christian band because I think we go beyond that. Tags can be limiting.”

The band is currently headlining a well-selling summer tour before taking off to headline this summer’s Warped Tour. McTague took an afternoon on the tour bus to talk to Pulse through crackled cell-phone reception about all things Underoath.

The Daily gets personal with “Underoath”

Dan McClanahan: I’ve heard rumors that you’re the nicest band ever. Do you ever have major disagreements?

Tim McTague: We disagree all the time. Finding a healthy relationship whether it be a band mate, girlfriend, wife or whatever – it’s not about finding somebody you never fight with. It’s about finding somebody you can fight with and that you care about enough to fight with and get through it together. I actually heard a sermon on that once. It was about people looking for wives and husbands – you’re going to know its the right person when you fight with them, but you love them enough to get through it and it doesn’t matter. You don’t put 11 dudes in a van or a bus together and expect them to get along all the time. There’s always the dude who never cleans up after himself – we all have those roles, but I’d say on the whole we get along great.

DM: Can I ask who the guy that never cleans up after himself is?

TM: Probably Chris [Dudley] or Grant [Brandell] (laughs), but I’ve been known to be that guy from time to time.

DM: How does your faith make your lifestyle different than that of a typical rock star?

TM: I don’t know. I’m not real sure. It kind of conjures up a sense of purpose and a sense of responsibility. If I didn’t feel like there was any goal in life and if I didn’t feel that there was a sense of urgency in my life and in this country and this world, I think my life would be completely different. Where I’m at now it’s like constantly evaluating myself – like what am I going to do with my life? What can I do to make it different and make it count, you know? For me, knowing my personality and my world view plays a lot in to it. There is a real world out there and there are real people suffering and starving and being stereotyped and attacked in their own ways. There’s no reason to not get up every day and try – even if it’s something small like smiling at somebody like that – to make a difference.

DM: What do you guys do throughout the day to stay accountable to your lifestyle?

TM: Mostly it’s just watching each other’s back. If one of us is being followed around by a weird sketchy girl we’ll go over and bail them out. We’re all capable of being horrendous beings. No matter how much somebody’s heart wants them to do, everyone is easily capable of messing up. I think it’s a big issue. Being held up and feeling good is really important.

DM: Tell me about your new record, “Define The Great Line.”

TM: Yeah, it’s definitely a departure from our last record, but in a good way. I think things have progressed a lot. It’s a lot heavier, it sounds better and it’s a lot more focused. It’s a lot more precise, where our last record was kind of all over the place. I’m really stoked on it, I think it’s gonna be good. We’re not really too worried about sales or whatever. It’s not a very marketable record, it’s kind of just what we wanted to do with it. It’s not what people are going to expect – it’s going to catch a lot of people off guard.

DM: Could you define me the meaning of that name?

TM: It’s actually something Spencer [Chamberlain] came up with. It’s kind of taking this whole mindset of finding the path you’re supposed to walk in life. Everybody’s girlfriend, friend, family members – all these different people are trying to get their hands in you and mold you and shape you, and everybody’s got to find that line where they feel comfortable claiming certain morals and being molded in certain ways. It’s about finding that line.

DM: You’re known for the messages portrayed in your lyrics, among other things. What messages can we expect from “Define?”

TM: I think just a message of hope, you know. We’re all jacked up and messed up in our own ways. We’re all the same – no matter who has a guitar and who has a ticket in their hands. There’s really no difference between you and me, you know – all this crap just seems so fake. I think it’s really important for kids to understand that we all have problems and it’s OK to talk about [them]. If we all talked and took care of problems – if we could all be honest with each other and say, “Yo, I’m kind of messing around in drugs,” or “I’ve been drinking too much” – we could take care of these things early on and all be better off for it. Even though we say we’re a Christian band, we’re not perfect. We all say we want good things and do bad things and that’s life. But every day we wake up and try to do the best we can and try to encourage people in realizing that there is something better out there.

DM: Do you ever get frustrated with the violence and emphasis on image that is currently dominating the hard-core scene?

TM: No, not frustrated. If kids start fighting we’ll stop the show and tell them to stop. We’ve built a very good reputation with the hard-core scene. They respect us a lot and we respect them a lot. They do their thing and we do our thing, but we get along very well.

DM: Do you have any pre-show rituals?

TM: We started doing yoga – me and James [Smith] our guitar player. All of us stretch and we pray before each show, but that’s about it.

DM: Does yoga actually work? I’ve heard good stuff about it but I always thought it just looked weird and crazy.

TM: Yeah – it works great! You should try it sometime.

DM: What are both the most rewarding and the hardest parts of being in Underoath?

TM: The most rewarding part is being able to do what I love and make a living and a difference in the world at the same time. Reaching outside my bubble on a daily basis is amazing. The hardest part is staying focused – not letting any success or lack of success distract me from what I’m doing.