| | Full Review | Ratings (324) |
Give your Rating |
| 3.5 great | BlackLlama | August 29th 11 |
If you don't like metalcore, and you already know what it's going to be going into it, then why the fuck are you listening to it? Half the low ratings here are due to butt-hurt metal fanboys that haven't liked an album since 1985
16 Bumps | Bump |
| 0.0 | Destiny Victoria | August 28th 11 |
What a massive improvement in music, the array of uncommon instruments + the violin fueled guitar is fantastic.
7 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.0 poor | Mas Westman | August 28th 11 |
Evolving and making a name for yourself in a certain genre of music: You're doing it wrong.
4 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | JumpTheShark | August 31st 11 |
Sounds a lot like To Plant A Seed but the standouts are alone worth it... A War Inside has a killer orchestral sounding section in it...
3 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | Dischi | August 29th 11 |
Feels like a grower to me.. Guess I'd rate it a 3.5/5 but I feel the need to push it, just because a bunch of braindeads rated it without even listening.. thats so metal m/
3 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | simonpettersen | September 12th 11 |
Approvement, much more catchy songs, but the clean vocals really does get kinda boring and annoying.
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.0 good | Chris Higgins | September 2nd 11 |
Understanding What We've Grown to Be is a slight improvement over To Plant A Seed, but it seems like as a band, We Came As Romans hasn't learned to much more about crafting an album. Still running into the filler problem, the biggest fault really comes down to their singer, who really isn't all that bad, but has no variation in pitch or melody. It sounds like he's singing the same notes in every song and it just becomes boring, taking away a huge element of the bands music. Stephens is awesome as a screamer and is backed up well by the music, but still a lot of this just feels copied and pasted from the bands previous album. There is a lot more work on sounds and experimentation with different synth effects and when they come around it's awesome, but it isn't enough to really help this album overcome what the band has done before. Label this as To Plant A Seed 2.0, because that's really all it is.
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 0.0 | rob g | August 28th 11 |
Horrible band makes horrible album. ok listened to it and yea it sucks so bad
This band will never cease to be anything more than a shit-stain on Michigan's reputation
for music.
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.0 poor | Tanner Lichty (Twlichty) | September 14th 11 |
People saying "this is metalcore what do you expect" have got it all wrong. This music sucks, not all metalcore sucks. This isn't even what i would define as real metalcore, this is a bunch of punkass teenagers making "music" out of the gimmicks that are popular in the scene right now. Horrible excuse for music
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 0.0 | Adrian Hertzberg CONTRIBUTOR | September 13th 11 |
that ad on the top of the site makes them look like the biggest group of scenester fags the world has ever seen.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.0 poor | lucasjcockcroft | September 12th 11 |
To Plant A Seed part 2. the only track that stands out out is mis//understanding.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.0 poor | Fabrizio Marra | August 30th 11 |
No improvement at all. Vocals are way too auto-tuned.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.5 average | KosherSoldier | August 28th 11 |
I expected much better from these dudes. The entire album sounds like a To Plant A Seed b-side.
There are some fun parts, but as a whole it's quite lackluster.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 0.0 | Obfuscation24 | August 28th 11 |
i understand that theyve grown to be fuckin sweet m/
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | SlowlyFallingAwake | January 17th 13 |
In spite of the lack of technical proficiency (WCAR never planned on reinventing the wheel), Understanding what we've grown to be is an inspiring record with an overall positive message. At some points dragging, but only very slightly, it rolls on with great vigour. Tracks such as What I Wish I Never Had share blunt lyrics, which, nonetheless, are straight to the point and somehow manage to bring forward a message of solidarity and decisiveness.
Bump |
| 0.0 | ASnideRemark | December 2nd 12 |
With almost every song sounding similar, We Came As Romans have made an album that is almost the sheer definition of mediocrity. With the only two memorable songs being "Mis//Understanding" and the title track, the album is plagued otherwise with monotonous clean vocals, uninteresting musicianship and repetitive song structures. However, there are positives to this album, such as the strong screams, the positive motivational lyricism and occasionally the guitar work can be quite catchy.
Bump |
| 2.5 average | Brighter Than the Noonday | November 2nd 12 |
WCAR spends too much time trying to make every moment catchy and chuggy and forget to make things mildly different. This is far inferior to their previous full-length due to its simply annoying moments that prove how the band is trying to hard to be something they don't have to be.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | Deuce8311 | May 27th 12 |
I find this to be just a notch better than their first, but the two have some similarities. Just like the first album, there are some standout tracks "A War Inside" and "What My Heart Held" to name a few, but also their are some filler tracks. In order to be a great album, there has to be no filler and usually more experience, so maybe WCAR can do it in the next few years. They didn't overuse the electronics/keyboards in this one, and both vocalists seem to have improved a bit. As far as the rest of the band goes, they have never really been impressive, but they are good enough to make it an enjoyable record worth a few spins.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | Mosh | January 6th 12 |
This is a very good album but there is only a slight improvement from the debut, which I expected them to have much more improvement.rp.s: The clean vocals are so annoying!
Bump |
| 2.0 poor | Nathan Flynn CONTRIBUTOR | November 15th 11 |
I liked this band more when they were 17 and hooking up with my friend's sister instead of 23 and getting played by the record labels.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | BroManCaptainGuySirDylan | November 14th 11 |
Essentially To Plant A Seed 2.0, albeit with a bit more filler. If you enjoyed their first album, you'll enjoy this.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | c0nf1n3d | September 28th 11 |
It's definitely a step-up from "To Plant a Seed." But, yet it still feels like it should be a B-Side for the aforementioned album. Just because you decide to drop the guitar tuning from typical drop-D to drop-B, doesn't mean your songwriting style changes...it just means you're playing it in a different string tuning. Some songs feel like they shouldn't belong on the album at all...bringing it back to the whole "To Plant a Seed" B-Side thing. On a supremely positive note, songs like "Mis-Understanding", "Everything as Planned", "What I Wished I Never Had", "Stay Inspired", "I Can't Make Your Decisions For You", and the title track all show musical progression. We Came as Romans are repeating more choruses (staying true to their metalcore genre), and they're showcasing how they can be as a band together instead of trying to showcase each of the instrumentalist/vocalist's talent in those songs. The other songs seem to feel a bit off. The concept of the album is supposed to be a lyrical change from the beginning to the end, which definitely works, but musically wise while they have definitely crafted some remarkable tracks, it seems they still haven't quite understood what they've grown to be.
Bump |
| 0.0 | Robert Lowe CONTRIBUTOR | September 14th 11 |
Dear We Came As Romans, your banner ad is almost as bad as your music
Bump |
| 0.0 | PostModernJellyfish | September 12th 11 |
It's metalcore. Do I have to say anything else? I'm going back to my Earth Crisis.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | Spencer Patrick | September 12th 11 |
Minor improvement over To Plant a Seed, but that LP wasn't too flawed to begin with. Less filler this go around.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | thechodewarrior | September 11th 11 |
If you were a fan of the first album, you'll like this one. Not too much will try to change your mind if you didn't like them before.
Bump |
| 0.0 | Shane B. | September 10th 11 |
We can all understand that the real butt-hurt person is BlackLlama and not the metal fans.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | iGuter | September 7th 11 |
Re-evaluate: The lyrics are strongly written, the sound keeps itself from trying to be generic (while fooling around with it), and it has an excellent orchestral vibe. The only downside is the always inconsistent fade in, fade out echo that seem to show up in every song.
Bump |
| 1.5 very poor | joelom | September 6th 11 |
mis//understanding and just keep breathing are the only decent tracks. all the other tracks have no pop and have uninteresting choruses. all the songs just sound like left over tracks from to plant a seed.
Bump |
| 2.0 poor | kman123 | September 4th 11 |
While the first album was perfectly good, great even, powered by a huge live presence that should be seen to be appreciated, this album just seems so...lazy. Barely any songs warrant a second listening and most struggle through the first.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | randomguitarist | September 2nd 11 |
An average album. Doesn't compare to "To Plant A Seed". Production is better, that's for sure. I'd give this a 3.25 out of 5.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | Justin Veltman | September 1st 11 |
What everyone else is saying.rOriginal? yep, just like WCAR
Bump |
| 3.5 great | Damon De Paolis | August 31st 11 |
Still sounds way too familiar , and way too much like To Plant A Seed, but it has its standout tracks such as A War Inside, Stay Inspired, What I Wished I Never Had and a few others. Not a bad listen, but still overall devoid of much progression. If you like them, pick it up; if you don't, listen to the songs I listed and make a decision from there
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Tonive | May 24th 13 |
| 2.5 average | LenZ | May 20th 13 |
| 1.0 awful | LoganP | April 9th 13 |
| 2.5 average | Tobi | April 2nd 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | GSMC96 | March 2nd 13 |
| 2.5 average | Alexd93 | February 27th 13 |
| 2.5 average | bwiese | February 24th 13 |
| 3.0 good | boff | December 26th 12 |
| 2.5 average | Shimana | December 20th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Imoshen | December 18th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | BabyJ | November 30th 12 |
| 3.5 great | Zikana | November 13th 12 |
| 3.5 great | ludis | August 5th 12 |
| 2.5 average | SimGod | June 25th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | kab753 | June 5th 12 |
| 2.5 average | dedex | May 12th 12 |
| 2.5 average | AdamK | May 12th 12 |
| 3.5 great | PeriL | May 4th 12 |
| 2.0 poor | Joey | April 25th 12 |
| 1.5 very poor | Flutt | April 15th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Thomas | April 6th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | dindin | March 13th 12 |
| 2.5 average | vinceG | March 12th 12 |
| 2.0 poor | pbass0 | February 24th 12 |
| 2.5 average | qdgyu | February 14th 12 |
| 3.5 great | Naenia | January 21st 12 |
| 3.0 good | Brumas | December 20th 11 |
| 3.0 good | PlanJS | November 28th 11 |
| 1.0 awful | Pim K | November 15th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Shen | November 7th 11 |
| 3.0 good | HiLion | October 30th 11 |
| 2.0 poor | xevman | October 27th 11 |
| 2.0 poor | G.M.B. | October 6th 11 |
| 1.0 awful | DPUSS | September 16th 11 |
| 2.5 average | Guiltor | September 14th 11 |
| 2.0 poor | PacM4n | September 14th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | Alixsky | September 14th 11 |
| 2.5 average | bloc | September 6th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | BG | September 6th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Amstel | September 4th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Tobi | September 4th 11 |
| 3.5 great | tresm87 | September 3rd 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Purpose | August 31st 11 |
| 3.0 good | quik40 | August 29th 11 |
| 2.5 average | Bon Doe | August 28th 11 |
| 2.5 average | alsid | August 28th 11 |
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