Introducing Jay Johnson, UTR Bassist!

We're excited that Jay Johnson (J.J.) is now the bassist for Under the Rose!

J.J. has actually known Jason since their college days, and he played with Bad Charism for a few years during the early 2000s. In Under the Rose, he contributes a solid foundation that was lacking before his arrival. Aaron played bass on the first two UTR releases, and the bass essentially blended in as another electric guitar. In contrast, J.J. fills up the low frequencies, providing a much thicker sound. In addition, he contributes strong songwriting skills and brings some serious vocal chops that provide the opportunity to add complex harmonies into our live show.

J.J. listens to a wide variety of music with a focus on hard rock, metal, and pop-punk. His favorite bands include Killswitch Engage, Alter Bridge, Jimmy Eat World, and Green Day.

Soon, we'll be releasing some new music featuring J.J. Stay tuned.

Introducing Stacy Renfroe, UTR Vocalist!

Stacy Renfroe is now our lead vocalist! He's been making music in and around Birmingham for years both in bands and as a solo artist. His solo material perfectly displays his skills in writing songs, playing guitar, and seamlessly blending complex vocal harmonies into heavy music. We're excited about the effect he is having on Under the Rose's new material and about his own material that he brings into the band.

Stacy has a wide range of influences but draws heavily from classic rock, metal, and grunge. Some of his greatest influences include Led Zeppelin, Alice in Chains, Alter Bridge, and Dio. His smooth voice rounds out Under the Rose's jagged edges and counterbalances the percussive elements present in our heaviest songs.

Stacy and I (Aaron) have known another for about a decade, but until recently, we had never worked together on a creative project. After the release of Nineveh, I became overwhelmed at the prospect of sifting through the backlog of half-written Under the Rose songs in order to find material for our next project. I reached out to Stacy to gauge his interest in helping us with a few songs, and we quickly realized that we would be able to do some pretty cool things together. It all came together pretty quickly.

We look forward to bringing you Stacy's vocal stylings very soon!

Jesus and Metal?

For years, I played in a band at a local church, occasionally leading worship. But I felt creatively stifled.


I’ve always loved “intense” music, the kind that turns people off with loud drums, louder guitars, and screeching vocal histrionics. Somehow, I had come to believe this kind of music was incompatible with worship, and I felt guilty for my own personal tastes. But then I realized God is intense.


Throughout biblical history, God controlled the nations: Israel, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome. He still does. He puts to death, and he brings to life. No one can deliver from his hand. He'll destroy evil with only the word of His mouth.


That doesn't make me think of soft acoustic guitars.


When I think of God commanding the heavenly hosts, storing up lightning, pouring out fire on Mount Carmel, or speaking in a voice of rushing waters, I want to express awe in like terms: thunder, roaring, pounding, blinding. It's beautiful (and unsettling) to me.


But then again, the act of salvation was unsettling, to say the least. The Messiah willingly allowed his body to be broken, enduring insults and whips, spears and nails, biting words, and demoralizing betrayal. And while his return will bring ultimate glorification, it will not be beautiful to human eyes. It will mean God’s enemies shedding rivers of blood, their flesh becoming a feast for the birds of the air. It is only by God’s divine providence that anyone will escape.


There are moments of peace in life, and I enjoy them peacefully. But to me, sin, atonement, and redemption are violently beautiful. That is why Under the Rose attempts to be loud, epic, and at times, unsettling.


So yeah, metal for Jesus. It's what we do. Not because we're trying to be gimmicky, but because we love metal, and we think Jesus is the only thing that really matters in life.