We Came as Romans - Understanding What We've Grown to Be

Artist: We Came as Romans
Album: Understanding What We've Grown to Be
Date Released: 9/13/2011
Genre: Post-Hardcore

I gave this album a listen hoping it would at least try to avoid the Rise Record influence, but after the first two tracks I realized that was hardly possible. The album shines with the polish of overproduction but still is unmistakably WCAR, most prominently understood when the croons of Kyle Pavone soar above the music. While the songwriting was less than impressive on this record, the execution was up to par, providing a good balance of chunky, low end guitars and shiny synthesizer elements. As a pioneer of the style, it is expected, but not welcome for them to fall back on the success of To Plant a Seed with all-too-similar melodies and song formulas. As is the case with most record labels, originality between Rise bands is a constant battle, one that We Came as Romans struggles with as well (consider the similarity between them and, say, the newest For the Fallen Dreams or Sleeping With Sirens release). If nothing else, the album cover is pretty sweet, but while this release holds its own, it carries nothing groundbreaking to the table.

6/10