"Understanding What We've Grown to Be"

We Came as Romans'second studio album, "Understanding What We've Grown to Be,"released on Sept. 13 is a big step forward for the band. This album stays true to the band's post-hardcore sounds, but departs from its normally positive lyrics.

Kyle Pavone's smooth vocals, contrasting David Stephens' harsh screams, well represent the "dark to light"theme the band is aiming for with this album. This theme is also displayed on the album cover artwork.

The album opens quickly with the heavy track, "Mis//Understanding."There is a high energy present for the entirety of this track. This track also has some of the best mixtures of the two vocals.

"Everything as Planned"contrasts the first track somewhat with a more gradual build up in the beginning of the song. I enjoyed the sudden, quick stops laced throughout the song. The chorus does a great job of balancing this track, and fits very well with its screaming counterparts.

The track, "The Way That We Have Been,"impressively uses many different musical elements to great success. Fast-paced drums help set a good tempo. I particularly like the periodic use of high pitched strings. Overall, this track serves the album well.

The album is filled with many successful tracks. Although the more intense parts of this post-hardcore album could be intimidating to some, it all comes together to create a wide range of complementary sounds. I would definitely recommend buying this album.

And keep an eye on We Came as Romans as they continue to evolve.