Album of the Week #15.

We Came As Romans- Understanding What We’ve Grown To Be.

This is the reason that I wanted to start my blog with ‘Album of the Week’ posts. I’ve had this CD for a while now but I got so stuck in my ways that I don’t even think I’d listened to it once! I’m absolutely rubbish, how did I let this one go under my radar? I dunno what you’d call it, metalxcore maybe? But this album is gooooooooddddd.

This album is melodic intensity with harsh vocals balanced with clean ones. The album opens pretty much instantly with an awesome electro beatdown on track ‘Misunderstanding’. Initially, I didn’t really like the all-American clean vocals but the more I listened to the album the less offended I was and the more it made sense and fit with the rest of the music. The choruses are catchy but the intermittent riffs and beatdowns are furious. Of course this band have electro synths! I love the way track ‘Everything As Planned’ starts- it’s just been stuck in my head all week! In fact, as I’m listening to it now- this band write cracking song intros! ‘What I Wished I Never Had’ has an awesome synth/riff opening combo. OK, so I’m gonna make the comparison with The Devil Wears Prada (Dead Throne era)- some of the riffs and synths are in a similar style and the duel contrast vocals are similar. This isn’t a criticism- and I’m aware TDWP didn’t invent this sound- it’s just a style and I guess a sub-genre that I’m drawn to. It’s deffo the synths- I’m sorry but I’m a sucker for electro-metal-beatdown fury!


There’s some parts of this album with string sounds involved- maybe a violin?-  presumably played on the synths which works really well against the guitars. I seem to be focusing on the melodic aspects but never fear- this band are intense. I like a band that can bring those two styles together successfully. Take for example, the intro to ‘A War Inside’, the riff is intense but the contrast with the clean vocals over the top just works so well. Oooo the intro to ‘Stay Inspired’- I love the intros- is spidery widdly guitar that drops straight into a brutal beatdown riff. The ‘unclean’ vocals are barking, harsh and anger-filled. ‘Understanding What We’ve Grown To Be’ is We Came As Romans’ latest (2011) release; I’m as yet to check out their full length debut ‘To Plant A Seed (2009). I’m just reading up on the interweb and they seem to have toured with loads of bands I like including Parkway Drive, Woe Is Me and Of Mice & Men- I’ll have to keep my peepers peeled for them doing the rounds in the future.

Overall, this is an album balancing catchy choruses with intense beatdowns, super synths and an album full of awesome intros- check it out.