We Came As Romans – Darkbloom
Release Date: 14th October 2022
Label: Sharptone Records
Pre-Order
Genre: Metalcore
FFO: The Devil Wears Prada, Fit For A King, Miss May I.
Review By: Trina Julian Edwards
Friday, October 14, Michigan metalcore veterans, We Came As Romans, release their first album in five years, Darkbloom, featuring singer David Stephens, guitarist Joshua Moore, bassist Andy Glass, guitarist Lou Cotton, and drummer David Puckett. Darkbloom ushers in a new era for WCAR, but one that also honors the legacy of late co-vocalist and keyboardist, Kyle Pavone. Pavone tragically passed away due to an accidental overdose, roughly a year after the release of 2017’s Cold Like War. A devastated WCAR were determined to continue in his memory, and for each other and the fans. Darkbloom is the culmination of these efforts, and a symbol of the band’s perseverance.
The title track, Darkbloom, despite having been released in 2021, is still a highlight for me. It has a kind of ambient, synth-y intro that flows into the swiftly moving guitar leads grounded by Puckett’s insanely rapid drumming on the verses. The slowdown on the chorus gives it a bit more emotional weight, and Stephens’ vocals, both harsh and clean, are exactly right for this track. I’m a sucker for a gardening metaphor, and I can’t fault that ending with the challenge to “Die or grow…” This is the WCAR that we know and love. Lyrically, Plagued illustrates the band’s grieving process after the death of Pavone. There is expressed anger and feelings of being overwhelmed that are nicely mirrored by the chugging guitar work and Stephens’ harsh growls. The chorus is catchy, and the cleans create some nice contrast, but I feel like the pinch of salt has been left out of this track.
I’m really attracted to this synth-y opening of Black Hole, and it’s nicely integrated throughout the rest of the track. The mid-tempo groove keeps things rolling along at a good clip, and that singable chorus gets me every time. Black Hole is also notable for featuring Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo, which gives this track some extra oomph and adds some gorgeous harmonies with Stephens’ cleans. The breakdown is a particularly nice touch, and it might just be the reason this is my favorite track. Daggers is probably the heaviest track on the album, the guitar work and the punishing rhythm giving us some much-needed brutality. This track features rapper Zero 9:36 in one section, which I’m not crazy about, but not because it isn’t done well, only because it slams the brakes on the momentum of the song. Stephens’ harsh vocals add some aggression to keep things amped up otherwise, but once the energy drops, it’s hard to get that earlier excitement back. The breakdown is certainly welcome, though, and gives the ending some punch.
Golden is one of those songs that doesn’t leave a huge impression musically, and it’s unfortunate that it has to follow a banger like Daggers. Lyrically, the verses speak to the band’s emotions on learning of Pavone’s death:
7:40 and I’m staring at the ceiling
And I can’t move at all
Eyes wide open, but I wish that I was dreaming
Of a world where you stayed
It’s clearly heartfelt, and I always love some circa 2010 signature metalcore guitar, but even with those beautiful cleans and the radio-ready chorus, it’s just not very memorable aside from the lyrics. One More Day is in the same vein as Golden. The big, sweeping chorus is something you could expect to hear on the radio any time from the early 2000s on. It doesn’t have a very metal feel except for the harsh vocals, because the music definitely leans rock, and not even hard rock at that.
The intro to Doublespeak is not only full of effects, but it has this stuttering robotic voice spitting out garbled words. This goes on for a good thirty seconds too long in my opinion- and the instruments finally enter with a bang around the 45-second mark; however, this is short-lived, and the verses go back to that stripped-down, effects-laden nothingness with more of those robotic nonsense words. The breakdown is the best part of the song, and it’s good, but we should have gotten more of that power and intensity during the rest of the song. It feels like an opportunity wasted. The Anchor jumps right into the heavy, but the following verses douse that fire and make you feel as if the song is being dragged through the next few measures. The pre-chorus gives us more speed and some harsh vocals, but then the chorus drops the tempo again. It’s another one of those sweeping choruses that should be epic, but it feels like there’s something missing. I doubt it was their intention, but the name of the song is apropos to the arrangement.
Holding the Embers starts out with jangly guitars and Stephens’ cleans, followed by some nice harmonizing vocals. The breakdown elements and the harsh vocals add a little grit, and the chanting chorus of voices instantly transported me ten years into the past. Promise You is a tear-jerker, focusing on the emotions behind watching a loved one’s life come to an end. The slow, ballad-y tempo fits the theme and there are some really lovely harmonizing vocals. This track would be at home on any top-40 station, but I want more metal in my metalcore.
Overall, it seems like more of the same from We Came As Romans. Darkbloom may feel like a new era for the band after the death of their friend, but I’m not hearing a new era musically-speaking. Maybe that’s the way they chose to memorialize Pavone, and far be it from me to tell someone else how to grieve. I can understand not wanting to step out of their comfort zone, but I expected more of an impact on their music after a loss of that magnitude. I’m still getting 2010s radio-friendly metalcore vibes, and while there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, I was hoping for something new. Frankly, we need more Daggers and less Promise You. I was, however, pleased to see Stephens showing he’s capable of handling the vocals alone, and more power to him. Darkbloom is also a bit too over processed for my liking, and I would have liked more of that raw energy we saw glimpses of in Daggers and Black Hole. I don’t think die hard fans will be too displeased, and there are some good songs on this album, it just didn’t live up to its potential.
(3 / 5)
