We Came As Romans - To Plant a Seed
Rating
RIYL
VannaAsking Alexandria
I See Stars
Release Date
11/03/2009
Label
Equal VisionTracklist
1. To Plant a Seed2. Broken Statues
3. Intentions
4. Roads That Don't End and Views That Don't Change
5. Dreams
6. We Are the Reasons
7. Beliefs
8. I Will Not Reap Destruction
9. Searching, Seeking, Reaching, Always
10. An Ever-Growing Wonder
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We Came As Romans is the latest in a line of synth-infused, nasally-voiced, post-hardcore bands to join the bloated “hardcore” scene. Using Equal Vision Records' marketing skills to promote the life out of their new album, the band has gained a fair amount of notoriety in the past few weeks and even embarked on a nation-wide tour alongside The Chariot and Oh, Sleeper. So is the band just another future Attack Attack! tour-mate or do they actually have what it takes to break out on their own? You'd be surprised.
To Plant a Seed is the band's first full-length release. Signed by Equal Vision Records in April of 2009, much of the year was spent recording the album and touring, just as the band had done to garner the attention the label. From the start, the band comes out swinging. Immediately introducing their mix of screaming and singing, as well as larger electronic elements, the album's title track is the perfect preface to the rest of the album. Though blatantly auto-tuned, Kyle Pavone's vocals contrast well with Dave Stephens' screaming performance, easily better than a multitude of other bands in the same vein. Josh Moore and Lou Cotton come through on guitars, both showing that they can hold their own, and Andy Glass and Eric Choi handle bass and drums, respectively. Subtle bass drops, symphonic piano patches, and tight, intricate guitar work dominate the background of the music, each having their own remarkable clarity. If nothing else, this album is produced well. What is truly impressive, however, is the music itself.
Songs like “Roads That Don't End and Views That Never Cease” bring out the band's metal side, beginning with choppy rhythms and riffs that run all over the fretboard, whereas tracks like “Beliefs” effectively show their pop song writing skills. The band doesn't let up through the album's duration; there simply isn't a bad song out of the ten. “Intentions,” “Dreams,” and “I Will Not Reap Destruction” are all stand-out tracks, in fact. What plagues the band, however, is that the majority aren't memorable. The songs run together after a while, but do hold their own individually. Another issue I have with the album is that when the band attempts to make a moment heavier, they sometimes turn to the tritone breakdown. While this technique was innovative a few years ago with bands like Norma Jean, it has simply become watered-down and screams, “We couldn't think of anything heavier to write, so we did this.”
To Plant a Seed is a fantastic album that is hopefully able to plant a seed in the band's decaying music genre, as well as be the first of many from We Came As Romans. They certainly have the musicianship, song-writing skills, and let's face it, the image necessary to get even bigger than they already have. Be sure to keep your eyes open for this band in the future, and if you're looking for a positive and refreshing album from the post-hardcore realm, look no further.
--Cody Rogers
Comments
San Luis Obispo, CA
wasn't terrible but wasn't something i could see myself listening to often at all. seemed kind of cliche if thats the right word for it.
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Citadel Artist Management (Underminded/Misdelphia/Dying Diva)
Decoymusic.com (CEO/Editor)
Minnesota
Of all the crappy keyboardcore bands around right now, I actually enjoy these guys. Not bad at all.
Hillsborough, NC
Yeah, this is how I felt. I saw them live and thought they were horrendous, so I thought this would be the same, and it wasn't. But yeah, also not something I would choose to listen to very often.
San Jose, CA
Pretty awful album, no matter which way you look at it in my opinion.
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy
San Borja, Lima, Perú
Massive Fail.
My top 10 list for 2009:
http://www.decoymusic.com/users/428/top_tens/2009
Alabama
Yeah saw these guys with Oh, Sleeper and The Chariot and forthat reason, I won't even be checking this out.
Edmonton, AB
Didn't expect much from these guys, but I absolutely love this disc, I thought it was a nice breath of fresh air