We Came As Romans' Self-Titled Is An Album To Be Proud Of

Following the success of their first three albums, ‘To Plant a Seed’, ‘Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be’ and ‘Tracing Back Roots’, the six piece from Michigan have returned with their brand new, self-titled album, produced by David Bendeth, who is also known for his work with Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice & Men and more.

Wanting to ensure a supreme album, the band were very harsh when it came time to decide which songs made it onto the record; composing close to forty tracks and cutting it down to only ten. Vocalist, Dave Stephens explains “If a song wasn’t great, it was rewritten until it was, and if it still wasn’t great, it was cut.” So did their decisions pay off?

“Regenerate” welcomes you back into We Came As Romans’ world with a bang. A matrimony of chugging riffs, breaking cymbals and that intoxicating balance of clean vocals and gruffed up screams. There are moments throughout this track that quite remind me of the new Of Mice & Men, which would be due to Bendeth’s influence.

Their premiere song, “The World I Used To Know,” features some of Kyle Pavone’s finest vocal work with a very catchy chorus. Instrumentally, there’s not too much happening, but it’s a track that could attract commercial success, whilst maintaining the integrity of the band. A good hybrid really.

A lovely piano solo introduces the listener to “Memories,” the fourth song on the album, which slows things right down. I admit I wasn’t much of a fan the first time it played, but by the third or fourth, I found it nearly impossible not to hum along.

The pace quickly picks back up with “Tear it Down”, and this song is killer! The guitars, obviously drop tuned, chug with lethargic beauty. Dirty, but drop dead gorgeous, this song is a personal favourite. It seems to hook you, and refuses to let go.

The second to last track, “Defiance”, is absolutely brilliant - seeing some of the synthy, ‘old school’ We Came as Romans meet the more mature band they’ve evolved into. The same head banging quality that resounds throughout the album is present here and it’s something the listener wouldn’t be able to resist.

The conclusive song, “12:30” feels heavily influenced by Of Mice & Men, which isn’t a bad thing. The band still do a bang up job of putting a very individual touch on it, and the sludgier rock is actually quite becoming.

All in all, We Came As Romans were right to be selective. It’s paid off. What they’ve brought forward is an individual album they can be proud of.

To find out more about We Came As Romans, click here.

To visit the band's Facebook page, click here.

Words by Renette van der Merwe.

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