Plagued

Plagued by We Came As Romans is a profound exploration of the darkest, ugliest stages of the grieving process. Written in the wake of the tragic 2018 death of the band's clean vocalist and keyboardist, Kyle Pavone, the song addresses the transformative and destructive nature of profound loss. The central theme revolves around how intense anguish can seamlessly mutate into an uncontrollable anger, fundamentally changing a person's character.

The lyrics detail the horrific realization of watching yourself turn into someone you do not want to be. When the narrator states that they stare into the reflection of somebody else, it highlights the alienation from their own identity caused by trauma. The song touches upon the concept of being completely consumed and overwhelmed by sorrow, to the point where grief acts as an infection—a plague—that rots away one's former self. It captures the inescapable reality of mourning, the frustration of ruminating over past choices, and the desperate, futile attempts to find distraction from the internal hell of living without a loved one.

The narrative of the song plunges deeply into the psychological aftermath of an immense tragedy, chronicling a narrator who looks into a mirror but feels entirely disconnected from the reflection staring back. They describe a profound sense of isolation, feeling as though their own physical body has become a confining prison cell. The overwhelming weight of grief and sorrow has effectively eroded their former identity, reducing them to nothing more than a hollowed-out shell of the person they used to be. Every single day becomes a desperate, futile search for a way out or a semblance of normalcy, but the harsh reality never changes and the pain remains suffocating.

The protagonist finds themselves trapped in a metaphorical hell, agonizing over the unchangeable choices that were made in the past. This deep-seated agony morphs into a toxic, consuming rage that infects their mind like a vicious disease. Seeking relief, they actively attempt to drown themselves in various distractions to avoid facing their internal torment. However, this avoidance only leads to further self-isolation; they continually shut themselves out from the world and from their own healing. In forgetting who they once were, they fully transform into a stranger to their own spirit.

The constant, gnawing presence of anger and sorrow leaves them feeling completely infected by a mental anguish that decays their soul. Ultimately, they reach a bleak realization that there is no escape from this personal torment and nothing left to say, resigning themselves to the consuming fire of their own helpless, bitter rage.

The creation of Plagued spans several years, serving as a crucial piece of We Came As Romans' comeback album, Darkbloom. Following the devastating loss of Kyle Pavone to an accidental overdose in August 2018, the band took time to process their grief before deciding to continue their musical journey as a quintet to honor his legacy.

Guitarist Joshua Moore finished writing Plagued in January 2020. The genesis of the track occurred when Nick Sampson, a frequent writing collaborator, sent Moore a video of a riff idea. Inspired, Moore drove to Sampson's house, and the two completed the foundational music together. Shortly after, their friend and fellow writer Ryan Leitru joined them to pen the vocal arrangements. More than a year later, the band entered the studio with renowned producer Drew Fulk (also known as WZRD BLD) to record the album. Fulk helped smooth out the track's edges, solidifying its massive sound. The song was highly anticipated by the band and was officially released as the album's fourth single on June 22, 2022, ahead of the full Darkbloom album release in October 2022.

The song utilizes a mix of AABB and ABCB rhyme schemes, depending on the section, utilizing both perfect and slant rhymes (e.g., else / myself, cell / shell, live in / driven) to create a sense of cyclical lyrical flow. The rhythm of the vocal delivery is particularly noteworthy; during the verses, the harsh vocals adopt a syncopated, staccato cadence that matches the percussive guitar riffs, driving the song's aggressive momentum forward.

In the chorus, the rhythm intentionally elongates. The tempo of the underlying beat halves, allowing the lyrics to breathe and land with heavier emotional impact. This interplay between frantic lyrical rhythm in the verses and sweeping, deliberate pacing in the chorus mimics the sensation of an anxiety attack giving way to a crushing wave of depression.

Musically, Plagued employs classic metalcore techniques expertly juxtaposed to reflect its thematic duality of anger and sorrow. The aggressive, down-tuned guitar chugging and rapid-fire drum fills in the verses create an oppressive, chaotic atmosphere, simulating a mind overwhelmed by racing, angry thoughts. Dave Stephens' harsh, guttural vocal delivery in these sections perfectly embodies the visceral rage mentioned in the lyrics.

In contrast, the song integrates atmospheric synthesizers—a hallmark of We Came As Romans' sound—to add a layer of melancholic melody. During the choruses, the frantic instrumentation shifts into a massive, halftime groove, providing a vast sonic space for Stephens' clean, soaring vocals. This dynamic shift from blistering heaviness to melodic vulnerability acts as a stylistic representation of the volatile emotional swings experienced during the grieving process.

Plagued plays a significant role in the legacy of We Came As Romans, serving as a standout track on Darkbloom—their first album released following the tragic death of Kyle Pavone. The song was received with immense critical praise and fan appreciation within the metalcore community for its raw, unfiltered honesty regarding mental health and the ugly realities of mourning.

While many songs about loss focus purely on sadness or celebration of life, Plagued resonated deeply by normalizing the anger and loss of self that accompanies severe trauma. It solidified the band's triumphant, albeit painful, return to the scene, demonstrating their resilience and their commitment to using their music as a therapeutic outlet for both themselves and their listeners.

The song relies on several visceral metaphors to communicate the weight of grief:

• The Plague: The title and central motif, representing grief as a virulent, infectious disease. It symbolizes how sorrow and anger spread through a person's mind and body, sickening their thoughts and decaying their emotional wellbeing.
• The Reflection/The Stranger: The lyrics "I stare into the reflection of somebody else" symbolize a profound loss of identity. Trauma has altered the narrator so drastically that they no longer recognize themselves in the mirror.
• The Cell and The Shell: Singing "this body's a cell / Becoming a shell of who I was" uses confinement imagery to express emotional paralysis. The "cell" represents being trapped within one's own suffering, while the "shell" illustrates feeling hollowed out, devoid of the joy and substance that once defined their life.

Several lyrical motifs recur throughout the track to emphasize the inescapable nature of the narrator's pain. The repetition of "I'm plagued" serves as an anchor, a constant reminder of the emotional sickness they cannot cure. The phrases "I can't escape this hell that I live in" and "I can't erase the choices we made" are repeated in the chorus and the bridge.

This repetition functions as an obsessive rumination, a common symptom of grief where the mind constantly loops over past events, guilt, and feelings of being trapped. By repeating these specific lines of hopelessness, the song's structure reinforces the narrative of being stuck in a stagnant, agonizing reality.