WE CAME AS ROMANS

Troy, MI's WE CAME AS ROMANS have never been a small talk kind of band, so it should come as no surprise that the metalcore act tackles weighty themes in their new music. Are humans inherently good or bad? That's the question they ask on their latest album, "ALL IS BEAUTIFUL... BECAUSE WE'RE DOOMED", with the album's early single, "culture wound".

As for the rest of the motifs on "ALL IS BEAUTIFUL... BECAUSE WE'RE DOOMED", WE CAME AS ROMANS also explore the Buddhist ideas of death and rebirth. It's more than an album, with the band offering a philosophical journey from start to finish with songs that make one question humanity.

Not to get too into the weeds, though. At the heart of the album is pummeling metalcore. Even if the themes aren't your taste, the music itself is solid.

The albums starts with a delicate one-minute passage called "ALL IS BEAUTIFUL..." and ends with a hard-hitting metalcore anthem in "BECAUSE WE'RE DOOMED", so these songs, the title tracks, serve as the release's bookends. Musically, this album doesn't stray from what fans have come to expect from the band, with thick guitars and breakdowns, pounding rhythms and a mix of death metal growls and high-pitched clean singing.

Most of the songs have an up-tempo and heavy feel, a shining example being "lake of fire", which features blood-curdling screaming from vocalist Dave Stephens, as he sings about feeling worthless and fighting demons against him. Another brutal standout is "red smoke", with Stephens showing off just how dark his growls can get and breakdowns that are absolutely headbanger-worthy.

Early single "culture wound", as mentioned above, questions if humans are good or evil, and it's one of the most radio-friendly songs on the set. With Stephens' soaring, clean vocals and its catchy, hook-filled chorus, "culture wound" would fit perfectly next to bands such as WAGE WAR and BAD OMENS on a playlist.

Other album highlights include "where did you go", which certainly has a BAD OMENS vibe with its electronics and melodic singing and "no rest for the dreamer", which goes the opposite direction with relentless, unforgiving guitars and aggressive vocals.

"ALL IS BEAUTIFUL... BECAUSE WE'RE DOOMED" is the kind of album that makes a strong statement, and it's great to see a band that has been around as long as WE CAME AS ROMANS continue to have something to say.