Detroit, Michigan quartet We Came As Romans is commonly referred to as one of the most renowned acts of post-hardcore, and their debut EP from 2008, "Dreams," is the record that truly started the lift of this band to high recognition. It only contains four tracks, but each of them offers a very potent serving of melodic and metallic hardcore. The vocal roars teem with energy and ferocity, accompanied occasionally with gang chants to elevate the hardcore aspect of this EP to even further heights. The clean singing is autotuned, which is usually characterized as a cheap and sometimes painful way to deliver vocal melody. Fortunately, in a rare case, "Dreams" is an album where this type of singing does fit and enhance the music's melodic side even further. The synthesizer and guitars deliver otherworldly and somewhat epic melodies as well, with the robust-sounding drumming accompanying well with the duality of metallic hardcore and ethereal post-hardcore. Hence the EP's title and the colorfully eye-catching album artwork shown above, "Dreams" demonstrates a spine-chilling fusion of robust hardcore, beauteous melody, and widescreen celestial atmospheres. It's a short but incredible release that will bring both fans and newcomers back to the roots We Came As Romans continues to branch off of today.
