We Came As Romans – ‘We Came As Romans’

Despite often being lumped in with the whole screamo/metalcore scene, We Came As Romans have previously stood out for being more progressive musically than some of their peers. This, their fourth album, retains such elements but more often than not dispenses with them in favour of a more straightforward approach that doesn’t always work. Opening track ‘Regenerate’, is packed full of beatdowns and chugging guitars with lyrics urging everyone to be more positive and to stop living for themselves. It’s a strong start but one that feels a bit basic compared to what the band have done previously.

We Came As Romans are no strangers to mixing things up vocally when it best suits the song, and they do so brilliantly on ‘Who Will Pray’. The clean vocals of Dave Stephens lead the charging drums into a slow and powerful verse before erupting into a melodic yet heavy chorus that shows off the more accessible side, which the band seem keen to embrace. It’s the standout song on the album but it arrives so early that the rest of the album lags behind in quality despite the efforts of producer David Bendeth to add some much needed depth and texture.

Vocalist Dave Stephens has spoken of how close to forty songs were written for the album with the best being re-written until they were deemed good enough for inclusion, but there’s little evidence of any sort of quality control being used. You can re-write a song such as ‘Blur’ as many times as you want, but when the end result is a clichéd sub-standard rock song peppered with some uninteresting drum samples and vocal effects then it probably should have been left on the studio floor. ‘Flatline’ is slightly more successful with its instrumental flourishes but overall it’s a bland slice of metalcore.

Where the quality really dips to the point of non-existence however is on ‘Saviour Of The Week’. From the grating repetition of the lyrics “who’s gonna be the one, one, be the air in your lungs, lungs” to the forgettable synths and lazy riffs, it’s little more than a bad pop song wrapped up in metal-lite clothing. Elsewhere, ‘We Came As Romans’ veers between the uncomplicated beat-downs of ‘Tear It Down’ and ‘Defiance’ and the radio-friendly alternative rock of ‘Memories’ and ‘The World I Used To Know’ without really mastering either genre.

Unfortunately, not even the brilliant and experimental ‘12:30’, with its sombre piano and echoing drums, can make up for the clutch of earlier mundane efforts. There’s an overriding sense of anonymity to the album that two good songs simply can’t shake. There are countless other bands doing what We Came As Romans do and they desperately need to rediscover what sets them apart otherwise they will soon fail to make their voices heard.

CHRIS HILSON