We came as Romans
| We came as Romans | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 We Came as Romans on With Full Force (2014) |
|
| General information | |
| origin | Troy , United States |
| Genre (s) | Metalcore , post-hardcore , trancecore |
| founding | 2005 as This Emergency |
| Website | www.wecameasromans.com |
| Current occupation | |
| David Stephens (since 2005) | |
| Joshua Moore (since 2005) | |
guitar |
Brian "Lou" Cotton (since 2005) |
| Andrew Glass (since 2005) | |
| David Puckett (since 2017) | |
| former members | |
| Chris Moore (2007-2008) | |
| Mark Myatt (2005) | |
| Larry Clark (2005-2008) | |
| Jonny Nabors (2005) | |
| Sean E. Daly (2005-2006) | |
| Sean N. Zelda (2005-2006) | |
Drums |
Eric Choi (2006-2016) |
Keyboard , vocals |
Kyle Pavone (2008-2018, † 2018) |
We Came as Romans is an American band from Troy , Michigan , formed in 2005. The band is mostly assigned to post-hardcore , metalcore or trancecore .
The group has released two EPs, four albums and several singles so far. In the meantime the band was under contract with Redfield Records , meanwhile the group also has a contract with Equal Vision Records and Nuclear Blast . The albums each reached a position on Billboard's US charts . The second album even entered the Australian charts.
The group has since toured Europe , the United States , Canada , Japan and the Philippines . The group also played on the Never Say Die! Tour , as well as on the Scream It Like You Mean It tour.
history
2005–2009: Foundation as “This Emergency” and first years
In August 2005, high school seniors Sean N. Zelda, David Stephens, Jonny Nabors, Mark Myatt and Joshua Moore formed a band called "This Emergency". The current front man, David Stephens, played guitar in the band at the time. In the early years, the group mainly gave concerts in the Detroit area . In November 2005, the band split from their bassist Jonny Nabors, who was replaced by Sean E. Daly.
In June 2006, Sean Zelda left the band to study at the University of Michigan . In the summer of the same year, Larry Clark, who is close friends with the musicians, joined the band as another singer. At this point in time, the group had adopted their current band name, "We Came as Romans". After the name change, the group mainly spent maintaining the lineup it is today.
The very first EP, which was released under the name Demonstrations , was released by the group as an in-house production in 2008 and was sold online and at concerts. In December of the same year the second EP was released under the name Dreams . This was produced by Joey Sturgis and received consistently good reviews. In order to cover the production costs, the musicians had to work at McDonald’s from time to time. Eric Choi contributed all of the money he received for his high school graduation. Between these releases, the group toured with Close to Home on their “V-Neck & Shave Chest” tour.
In April 2009, the group was finally signed by Equal Vision Records . We Came as Romans moved into the studio in November 2008 and began working on the debut album. This lasted until May 2009.
2009-2011: To Plant a Seed
In the meantime, We Came as Romans has been signed by Equal Vision Records and Redfield Records . The group's debut album, “To Plant a Seed”, was released on November 3rd, 2009. Just like the EP “Dreams”, “To Plant a Seed” was also produced by Sturgis. It contains new recordings of the songs "Dreams" and "Intentions", which can also be found on this EP. Tyler Smith is a guest singer on the latter song . Two days before the release of the debut album, We Came as Romans was the support band for Oh, Sleeper and The Chariot on their “Here a tour, there a tour, everywhere a tour tour” tour. The group ended 2009 with the "Leave It to the Suits" tour with I See Stars , Of Mice & Men and Broadway .
The year 2010 began for the group with a tour. Together with Alesana , A Skylit Drive , The Word Alive and Of Mice & Men, We Came as Romans played on the “The Emptiness” tour. In April, the group's first headlining tour (“We Are Not Meaningless”) took place. We Came as Romans was accompanied on the tour by Four Letter Lie and Life on Repeat, which lasted until May . Another concert tour followed in the same month. This time with Asking Alexandria , From First to Last , Our Last Night and A Bullet for Pretty Boy on the “Welcome to the Circus” tour. This tour ran until June. On May 11, 2010, the band's first single, "To Plant a Seed", was released. Another tour followed in July. On the "Scream It Like You Mean It" tour, the group played with Silverstein , Emery , Dance Gavin Dance , I Set My Friends on Fire , Sky Eats Airplane , Ivoryline and Close to Home . This tour ran through August. The Band of Brothers tour took the group across the United States and Canada . The first European tour followed in October and November, the “ Impericon Never Say Die! Tour "(NSD) with Parkway Drive , Emmure , Comeback Kid , Bleeding Through , War from a Harlots Mouth and Your Demise , as well as the" No Sleep Til "festival tour, which led through New Zealand and Australia . The headliner was Megadeth .
On January 6, 2011 the label Equal Vision Records announced that the debut album "To Plant a Seed" would be reissued. As a bonus track "To Move on Is to Grow" was packed on the album. In addition, a DVD was produced that belongs to the new edition of the album. This DVD shows interviews, excerpts from live performances and music videos of the band. The album debuted at number 175 on the US charts.
2011: Understanding What We've Grown to Be
2011 also began for the group with concert tours. In January, the group embarked on the Rock Yourself to Sleep tour with Woe, Is Me , For Today , The Word Alive, and Texas in July . Five days before the tour started, the label announced that guitarist Joshua Moore had been hospitalized for bacterial meningitis :
"Early this morning, We Came as Romans' guitarist Joshua Moore was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and is currently being treated at a hospital in Nebraska."
Even if Moore returned to the band during the tour, a few concerts on this tour in Denver , Colorado and Salt Lake City , Utah had to be canceled due to the bad weather conditions. At this point in time, the exact release date of the follow-up album was not known. In March, We Came as Romans was a support band for A Day to Remember on their “Game Changes” tour. This was followed by a headlining European tour with Miss May I , The Word Alive and This or the Apocalypse as part of the “Scream It Like You Mean It” tour. It became known that the release date was set to the period between May and July. The label finally announced that the second album would be released in the fall.
"The band is currently writing for their sophomore full-length album, which they will be recording with Joey Sturgis between tours and is expected to see a Fall 2011 release date."
On December 8th, 2010 it was already certain that We Came as Romans would perform on the Vans Warped Tour 2011 (from June to August). Before the tour started, the group went to the studio to work on the album. Finally, the release date was set to September 13, 2011. The first single "Mis // Understanding" was released on June 22nd, 2011, followed a day later by the release of the second single "Understanding What We've Grown to Be". On July 14th, the cover artwork for the follow-up album was published on the band's official website. The album is entitled " Understanding What We've Grown to Be ". The third single "What I Wished We Never Had" was released on August 24th. The album was finally released 3 days after the set date, on September 16, 2011. In Europe the album was released on the German label Nuclear Blast . The album reached number 21 on the official US charts. The group released three videos as a "Video Series". The first music video "Mis // Understanding" was released on ArtistDirect.com on November 11, 2011; "Just Keep Breathing" followed on December 16, 2011 via Livestream.com; and the last music video, “Understanding What We've Grown to Be” followed on February 2, 2012 via VeVo. All three music videos were shot in Brooklyn , New York by Travis Kopach. The band's official Facebook page stated that this music video series tells a story:
"The three videos we shot portray a person lost, confused and struggling to find purpose in life. He sees himself at his darkest in the first video, trying endlessly to find his way out. After going through a traumatic experience, he finds his way out and his eyes begin to open to a new journey of finding out what really makes him feel alive. Through this journey the man traces back to his childhood house, where it all began. Overwhelming feelings wash over him as he remembers the feeling he once had long ago. Now, with a sense of purpose, he embarks back into the world to take the path he should have taken long ago. "
In November 2011, We Came as Romans toured with Falling in Reverse , Sleeping with Sirens , Attila and For All I Am on the “Take A Picture, It Will Last Longer” tour. On November 10th, Falling In Reverse was replaced by Emmure as direct support. On December 18, 2011 the group played the last concert of 2011 in Anaheim with Of Mice & Men , Winds of Plague , Blessthefall , The Word Alive , Motionless in White , As Blood Runs Black , For the Fallen Dreams , Upon a Burning Body , Like Moths to Flames and The Great Commission .
At the beginning of 2012, We Came as Romans co-headlined the “Macbeth Footwear Keep A Breast” European tour with Alesana and with Iwrestledabearonce and Glamor of The Kill as guest support. We Came as Romans also performed at the "Scream Out Fest" (February 17-19, 2012) in Tokyo , Japan . Another tour followed in March, the “The Fire and The Ice” tour, together with Emmure, Blessthefall , Woe, Is Me and The Color Morale . This tour included appearances at the "South by So What" festival and the "Houston We Have A Problem" festival. On April 28, 2012, We Came as Romans played at Amoranto Stadium in Quezon City , Philippines . In May the group was supposed to take part on the South America tour of the band Underoath together with Protest the Hero and Close Your Eyes . However, this was canceled. On May 22nd, the group played a concert with Like Moths to Flames and Texas in July in New York ; entry was free. The group played on The Bamboozle on May 18th and 19th . A performance at the "Rockapalooza" in Jackson , Michigan on June 23rd is planned together with Puddle of Mudd , Saliva , Woe, Is Me and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus .
On April 18, 2012 it was announced that We Came as Romans would play again on the "Scream It Like You Mean It" tour. This time play Attack Attack! , The Acacia Strain , Oceano , Like Moths to Flames, Close to Home , Impending Doom , Woe, Is Me, Abandon All Ships , Secrets , For All Those Sleeping , Texas in July and In Fear and Faith on this tour. On October 12th, the group headlined Impericon Never Say Die! Tour in Germany , Belgium , France , Austria , Italy , Switzerland , Sweden , Luxembourg , the Czech Republic , the Netherlands and the United Kingdom . As support played Blessthefall , Obey the Brave , Stick to Your Guns , For the Fallen Dreams , The Browning , At the Skylines and At Dawn We Rage . The Never Say Die! Tour ends on November 3rd, 2012. We Came as Romans covered the song Glad You Came by The Wanted , which was released on the sampler Punk goes Pop 5 . A week later a music video for this piece was released.
On December 1, 2012, the group started their first South America tour. The band will play with August Burns Red in Curitiba , São Paulo , Buenos Aires , Santiago de Chile , Bogotá and Mexico City until December 9, 2012 . A tour through the states with The Used , Crown the Empire and Mindflow is to follow from January to March 2013 . This tour is called the "Take Action Tour". For the Take Action compilation the band will contribute the song Fair Weather , a brand new song. ITunes released a pre-order of this compilation on December 4th, 2012. Three days later it was announced that the group had been confirmed at the Summer Breeze in Dinkelsbühl .
2013–2015: New edition of Understanding What We've Grown to Be and Tracing Back Roots
On March 26, 2013, the new edition of the second album Understanding What We've Grown to Be was released with the three bonus titles Hope , King of Silence and Let These Words Last Forever . A video was published for all three bonus pieces, the last video was released on April 11, 2013 for the title King of Silence . King of Silence can also be found on the 2-track single Hope , which has only been available via iTunes since February 8, 2013 .
On March 13, 2013, the group moved into the studio with producer John Fieldmann to begin work on the new album. The musicians considered a recording time of seven weeks. On May 20, 2013 it was announced that the new album is expected to be released on July 23, 2013 and will be called Tracing Back Roots . In August the group played concerts in Germany , Belgium , the Netherlands and the Philippines . Previously, the group could be seen on the main stage of the Warped Tour . The album was released in Germany on July 26, 2013. With 26,000 records sold within the first week - Understanding What We've Grown to Be sold almost 19,000 times in the first week in 2011 - the album rose to number 8 in the United States the US charts.
Between November 7th and 24th, 2013, the group played a European tour with Parkway Drive , Memphis May Fire and For the Fallen Dreams . A few concerts took place as part of the Warped Tour, which was only held for the second time in Europe. Just four days earlier, We Came as Romans ended a concert tour with Silverstein , Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! and The Color Morale, which launched in October.
At the beginning of 2014, We Came as Romans with Crown the Empire and Born of Osiris opened for Asking Alexandria in North America . The group spent the summer of 2014 in Europe on a joint tour with Asking Alexandria and August Burns Red . As part of this concert tour, the band performed several appearances at European music festivals, including the Greenfield Festival , the Download Festival , the Tuska Open Air and the With Full Force . On September 4th, 2014 the band released their first live DVD with Present, Future, And Past . For this purpose, a concert in the House of Blues in Chicago , which was recorded in November 2013. In October and November 2014, the band toured parts of the United States with For Today , The Color Morale , Crossfaith and Palisades . Between December 11 and 18, 2014, the group played seven concerts as headliners with Chiodos , Slaves and Sleepwave .
2015–2016: We Came as Romans
On January 21, 2015, the band announced that they had gone into the studio with producer Dave Bendeth to record their fourth album. On May 26, 2015, the group announced that the fourth studio album would be named after the band and will be released on July 24, 2015. The same day, The World I Used to Know, the first single was released.
On October 4, 2016, drummer Eric Choi announced that he was leaving the band after ten years with We Came as Romans. Shortly before his exit, the group released a new single called Wasted Age .
Since 2017: Cold Like War
The band For Today announced on their Facebook page on July 4th, 2017 that their drummer, David Puckett, would play with We Came as Romans during their summer shows in the US. In the single "Cold Like War" released on September 11th, Puckett is mentioned as a drummer in the credits of the video.
On October 20, 2017, the album Cold Like War was released.
On August 25, 2018, it was announced that Kyle Pavone had died at the age of 28 as a result of an accidental overdose . The band announced this through social networks. The other musicians founded the Kyle Pavone Foundation, a contact point for musicians with drug problems.
Style and attitude to religion
Music and lyrics
The band mixes hard metalcore with electro and rather worn passages in their songs , which is why it is also attributed to trancecore . The vocals alternate between hard growls from singer David Stephens and the rather clean vocals and screamings from keyboardist Kyle Pavone. Through the intermittent use of trumpets , violins and other string instruments , the music can also be classified as symphonic metal in the most distant way . The Noisecreep portal compares the music of We Came as Romans with Horse the Band , Killswitch Engage and Nightwish . These influences were partially denied by the musicians.
The texts on To Plant a Seed convey only positive news and leave little room for negative criticism. In an interview with the online portal Burn Your Ears , it is said that the group wore rose-colored glasses when writing the texts . In another interview with The-Pit.de it is said that the entire album should convey how you find out how to shape your own life in such a way that you are happy, which steps you have to dare to take to reach your goal without doing that Happiness is lost.
On the follow-up album, Understanding What We've Grown to Be , the lyrics are darker and therefore seem more adult. First of all, the band lets itself into the negative influences in life, but most of the lyrics convey rather positive messages, as in the debut album.
Position on religion
It was speculated again and again whether We Came as Romans was a Christian rock band. When asked if the group was a Christian band, guitarist Joshua Moore replied that the band had both Christian and non-Christian members. The group is given this stamp of a Christian band because the texts are supposed to convey positive messages.
"We have Christian dudes in our band and we have non-Christian dudes in our band, and as a whole, we're not a Christian band. We definitely get it, but we also get it a lot because our music, as a whole, has a positive message to it, and there aren't a whole lot of bands with a positive message who aren't Christian bands. Typically, it's just Christian bands who promote a positive message. Just because we have a message, and it's not about killing each other, we get the Christian band tag. "
In Metal Hammer , a “positive and life-affirming attitude” on the part of the musicians is seen as a reason for the discussion whether We Came as Romans is a Christian Metalcore band or not. According to Metal Hammer, this discussion is “no problem” for the musicians, even if they do not see themselves as representatives of the Christian Metalcore movement.
However, quoting from Bible passages also suggests a certain inclination towards the Christian religion. In the debut album, To Plant a Seed , the piece I Will Not Reap Destruction from the New Testament , more precisely from Paul's letter to the Galatians, is performed, where it says: "I will not reap destruction, but life instead" (Galatians, Verse 4). The next album quotes from the Bible, this time from the Gospel of John . It is the title Cast the First Stone (in the Gospel it says: "Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone", translated "He who is without sin should throw the first stone"). The musicians themselves do not regard the quote as a religious message, but as a wisdom of life.
“Even if this quote is from the Bible, it's not really religious. It is more of a wisdom that, in my opinion, one should live by. "
The group also takes the view that the positive messages and the call in their songs to become a better person can be associated with Buddhism and not just Christianity .
“You could even associate many of our lyrics with Buddhism - precisely because of our positive message and the challenge to become a better person. However, nobody has ever said to us: "Guys, this song sounds totally like a Buddhist concept." "
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 CH
|
 US
|
|||
| 2009 | To Plant a Seed | - | - |
US175 (1 week) US |
First published: November 3rd, 2009
Sales: + 100,000 |
| 2011 | Understanding What We've Grown to Be | - | - |
US21 (2 weeks) US |
First published: September 16, 2011
Sales: + 70,000 |
| 2013 | Tracing back roots |
DE85 (1 week) DE |
- |
US8 (4 weeks) US |
First published: July 26, 2013
|
| 2015 | We came as Romans |
DE82 (1 week) DE |
- |
US11 (2 weeks) US |
First published: July 24, 2015
|
| 2017 | Cold Like War | - |
CH64 (1 week) CH |
US61 (1 week) US |
First published: October 20, 2017
|
EPs
- 2008: demonstrations
- 2008: Dreams
Web links
- Official website
- We Came as novel at Discogs (English)
swell
- ↑ This Emergency - Discover music, concerts, stats, & pictures at . Last.fm. November 21, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ↑ WCAR review at ABSOLUTEPUNK
- ↑ a b c burnyourears.de: We Came As Romans - Interview about the band and 'Understanding What We've Grown To Be'
- ↑ smash-mag.com: WE CAME AS ROMANS: Interview via email
- ↑ WCAR at ABSOLUTEPUNK
- ↑ metalunderground.com Oh, Sleeper - News Article . www.metalunderground.com. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
- ↑ We Came As Romans To Support "The Emptiness Tour" with Alesana . EqualVision.com. December 15, 2009. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ↑ WCAR The PRP . ThePRP.com. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ↑ Welcome to the Circus Tour - News Article . AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ↑ punkmusic.about.com Punk Music - News Article . PunkMusic.com. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
- ↑ altpress.com ( Memento from November 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) AltPress.com - News Article . AltPress.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
- ^ Billboard : US chart history
- ↑ rockyourselftosleep.com ( Memento from July 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) RockYourselfToSleep.com . RockYourselfToSleep.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
- ↑ We Came As Romans forced to cancel dates due to weather / illness . EqualVision.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ↑ EqualVision.com . We Came As Romans & Pierce The Veil to support A Day To Remember this Spring. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ↑ PunkMusic.about.com . PunkMusic.about.com. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
- ↑ Information on We Came As Romans . EqualVision.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ↑ In The Studio / Exclusive News: We Came As Romans Accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ We Came As Romans YouTube . Equal Vision Records =. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ↑ WeCameAsRomans.com . takeoverstudio.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ↑ We Came As Romans YouTube . Equal Vision Records =. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ↑ We Came As Romans announce European tour with Alesana . equalvision.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ Billboard : US chart history
- ↑ We Came As Romans Exclusively Premiere "Mis / Understanding" . artistdirect.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ equalvision.com . equalvision.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ equalvision.com . equalvision.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ↑ Bands Announced for 'December to Remember' Festival in Anaheim . smnnews.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
- ↑ ryansrockshow.com: Never Say Die 2012 Tour Dates (Europe): We Came As Romans, Blessthefall, Stick to Your Guns, For The Fallen Dreams
- ↑ Stormbringer.at: WE CAME AS ROMANS - new video clip 'Glad You Came' online!
- ↑ ryansrockshow.com: August Burns Red, We Came as Romans Latin American Tour Announced
- ↑ Stormbringer.at: SUMMER BREEZE 2013 - WE CAME AS ROMANS & GRAVE confirmed!
- ↑ Nuclear Blast : We Came as Romans release King of Silence lyric video!
- ↑ Nuclear Blast: We Came as Romans: "Hope" Itunes Single Out Now% video clip online!
- ↑ Equal Vision Records : WE CAME AS ROMANS TO RELEASE NEW FULL-LENGTH ALBUM 'TRACING BACK ROOTS' ON JULY 23
- ↑ Keith Caulfield: Billboard : Selena Gomez Earns First No. 1 on Billboard 200
- ^ Rachel Campbell: Alternative Press : Parkway Drive, We Came As Romans, Memphis May Fire to play Europe's Vans “Off The Wall” Music Night
- ^ Cassie Whitt: Alternative Press : We Came As Romans announce headlining tour with Silverstein, The Color Morale, C! NCC !, Dangerkids
- ↑ Michele Bird: Alternative Press : Asking Alexandria confirm 2014 North American tour dates
- ^ Matt Crane: Alternative Press : We Came As Romans announce summer European tour
- ↑ Rock Sound : We Came As Romans Get Set To Share Their Present, Future, And Past
- ^ Tyler Sharp: Alternative Press : We Came As Romans announce US headlining tour with For Today, the Color Morale, more
- ^ Tyler Sharp: Alternative Press : We Came As Romans, Chiodos, Sleepwave, Slaves announce tour
- ^ Matt Crane: Alternative Press : We Came As Romans begin recording new album
- ^ Tyler Sharp: Alternative Press : We Came As Romans announce self-titled album with lead single, "The World I Used To Know"
- ↑ Nikhail Gogia: Alternative Press : We Came As Romans drummer Eric Choi announces departure from the band
- ^ For Today. Retrieved November 16, 2017 .
- ^ SharpTone Records: We Came As Romans - Foreign Fire (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO). October 19, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017 .
- ↑ We Came as Romans Vocalist Kyle Pavone Has Died . In: Loudwire . ( loudwire.com [accessed August 25, 2018]).
- ↑ WE CAME AS ROMANS Singer KYLE PAVONE Died Of Accidental Drug Overdose. Blabbermouth.net , August 31, 2018, accessed September 1, 2018 .
- ↑ noisecreep.com: We Came As Romans: Christian Association and by mobile With Hammers
- ↑ burnyourears.de: We Came As Romans - Interview about the band and 'Understanding What We've Grown To Be'
- ↑ the-pit.de: Interview with We Came As Romans (November 2011)
- ↑ Chris Harris: We Came As Romans: Christian by Association and Handy With Hammers . Noisecreep . November 12, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ↑ Björn Springorum: Metal Hammer : December 2011 edition: Supplement: Extreme Aggression - The new noise: Metalcore, Deathcore and more. P. 29.
- ↑ Chart sources: DE US