“Shed the burden that turned you into a servant.“
For those of a certain age and generation, there is an emotional attachment to We Came As Romans that, despite their flaws, inspires a sense of loyalty towards the Michigan band. They are of an era where lengthier and “creative” names propped up, including the likes of Eyes of a Traitor and Exotic Animal Petting Zoo. We Came As Romans had that early modern metalcore sound that drew so many in when they were first exploring the genre.
Their best body of work will always be that of To Plant a Seed and Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be, which to this day showcase what a wondrous vocalist Kyle Pavone was. He still remains sadly missed. It was Pavone‘s last piece of work with Cold Like War that We Came As Romans once again showed how emotionally captivating and sonically impressive the band could be. It would take until 2022 for We Came As Romans to return, with Darkbloom showing their new sound that went head-first into the djentrified sound that modern metalcore had come, which massively split opinion across the board. And now with All Is Beautiful… Because We’re Doomed, We Came As Romans double down on this sound with diminishing returns.
The step into All Is Beautiful… Because We’re Doomed is one that doubles back on itself. On the opening set of tracks, including the likes of “lake of fire” and “one by one“, the condensed and compressed modern metalcore sound has been embraced. The whole sonic spectrum is funnelled into an unsubtle alcove, which sounds especially unpleasant on the higher pitched moments. As the synths expand out on the chorus of “one by one“, it just grates on the ear. While it might sound good blasting out on speakers being played out on the radio, in any other moment, it doesn’t sound good. We Came As Romans have been beset by poor production once again, unable to make the same spark that the more ambitious artists of the genre have been striking, including artists who bring pop elements to the forefront like Spiritbox, Dayseeker and ERRA. Even still, the by-the-numbers composition of the singles and rote electronic elements snuff out much of the potential interest, even before the production renders it all fruitless.
As the record rolls into “culture wound” it all begins to feel like an indistinguishable mesh of modern metalcore. The main hook of “So why are we trying to hide, if we’re just gonna live a lie?” followed on by “‘cause it feels like we’re born to die” feels absolutely hollow. While there might be plenty of goodwill intention to convey a heartfelt emotion, the tropes write themselves with this lyrical content. All Is Beautiful… Because We’re Doomed stoops down further “where did you go“, pivoting itself on the stylings that Bad Omens have found popularity. There are later moments in “so lost (burning flowers)” which pull on similar threads to that Northlane of old, further reinforcing the closed metalcore prism thatWe Came As Romans have produced exists in.
If there is one redeeming factor to be found on All Is Beautiful… Because We’re Doomed, it might be in “circling a dying sun“. It’s perhaps the one track that finds that old charm of We Came As Romans, that has a heart underneath it. While yes, it is as on-the-nose as the We Came As Romans sound would be in 2025, it sees them lean into that emotive and expansive sound that many have been drawn to over the years. It does suffer from the drab production of the record, with the snare sounding like someone hitting a wet bin bag, but it finds a mould to break through and ends up being a decent track.
As All Is Beautiful… Because We’re Doomed closes out on “so lost (burning flower)” and “BECAUSE WE’RE DOOMED“, there is surprisingly little to report. Given their track run of fantastic closing moments on prior records, there is little of that present here. While now an entirely different band sonically, there is still a yearning sense that We Came As Romans could still pull off grandiose finales akin to “An Ever-Growing Wonder” and “Learning To Survive“, but that’s not happening here.
Given the track record and sheer resilience of We Came As Romans, one feels predisposed to praise All Is Beautiful… Because We’re Doomed. What is present here is bereft of ideas – it’s merely huffing an existing sound that is already on its final dregs, rather than producing anything unique. It is a departure from the days of old, with a reinvention that sees We Came As Romans mire themselves in a sound that is as forgettable as the peers they draw influence from.
3/10
All Is Beautiful… Because We’re Doomed is out August 22nd via Sharptone Records and can be pre-ordered here.