We Are the Romans is widely viewed as a staple metalcore and for a damn good reason. Botch didn’t create an album with recycled, cliché riffs over simple, 4/4 drumming topped with bland and uninspired vocals. The riffs ranged from eerie to fierce, drumming went from brutal to subdued, vocals stretched from shrieks to whispers.
We Are the Romans proved that Botch was much more than the typical generic metalcore band who composes music around tasteless breakdowns. They had a massive amount of potential, and Botch dug deeper into that potential with their sequel,
An Anthology of Dead Ends.
Upon hearing the first sounds in “Spaim,” you really don’t know what to expect. But once “Japam” kicks in, you know that Botch hasn’t changed a bit in terms of songwriting; or at least that’s what you’re led to believe. One thing you do notice is that the vocals are more polished than they ever have been. They blend much better with the instrumentals than in any other Botch release. “Japam” is acknowledged as one of Botch’s finest tracks, but I mentioned previously that Botch dug deeper into their ever so obvious potential. You begin to see some of that evolution in “Framce.” It starts off with a two note guitar riff and you think ‘Hmm, interesting intro,’ except it isn’t just the intro; it’s the motif of the song. Instead of following the standard Botch song structure (which is unpredictable), they decide to wrap all of their ideas around this one little concept and it works out phenomenally. This is proof that Botch isn’t content in dwelling in a comfort zone; they wanted to expand their musical borders and experiment with the genre of mathcore without steering away from it.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this album is the style Botch employed in “Afghamistam.” In the first few seconds of the song, you realize that it isn’t typical Botch. Instead of ferocious riffs and angry vocals, “Afghamistan” features the softest material Botch has ever written, and not the eerie soft like in “Swimming the Channel vs. Driving the Chunnel” off
We Are the Romans, but entrancing soft that you can sleep soundly to. The clean vocals are backed up by ominous whispers and helps set the soothing mood of the piece. Whist listening to this song, it’s hard to contemplate that it’s the same band that wrote the complex “Transitions from Persona to Object” and relentless “John Woo,” especially when you hear the charming piano and strings filling your ears. It’s the most progressive song on this E.P., and could be named one of Botch’s greatest songs period.
All things considered, Botch really pushed forward in this E.P. It’s a damn shame they disbanded, especially since this E.P. was the start of Botch realizing their potential. They started dipping into previously untouched genres and refined their songwriting more than ever. Still,
An Anthology of Dead Ends is an amazing example of when a great band broadens their horizons and, while not a full album, can stand its own against the colossal
We Are the Romans.
