'' REACTOR '' OUT NOW
W: Billy Boyd
The As Rome Burns EP 'Reactor' is essential listening for anyone who finds modern life profoundly frustrating. It proves that the DIY space is where the sharpest, most cynical, and most creatively unhinged voices are currently operating. The EP is the sound of a band that knows the score and has decided to write the soundtrack to the collapse
As Rome Burns doesn't just release music; they issue a challenge. Their latest self-titled EP ''Reactor'' must start where the band themselves do: with a stark, almost nihilistic assessment of the world around them. While the actual tracks on the EP are sonic evidence of their self-proclaimed hard work, the accompanying commentary reveals a band operating with a higher degree of intellectual clarity than most of their peers.
This isn't just punk anger; it’s pragmatic, media-savvy cynicism that grounds their sound—a sound, we can only assume, is as polluted and visceral as the "culture war BS" they decry. The EP fuses the band’s live energy in raw, heavy sound that pulls influences from punk, grunge, and 2000s alt-rock Having found their feet and built a dedicated following within the vibrant London live music scene,
Track 1: "Animals"
The opener, "animals," plunges directly into the theme of corrupted discourse and primal societal breakdown. In the context of the band's critique of "social media platforms that are currently polluting the national discourse," this track functions as a furious soundscape depicting the reduction of humanity to tribal, unthinking behavior. It’s an auditory mirror held up to the "culture war BS," likely fusing heavy, grunge-adjacent riffs with sharp, observational lyricism that dissects the basic, base-level conflict driving modern life. If As Rome Burns is looking to change "hearts and minds," this track is the necessary—and painful—first step of diagnosis.
Track 2: "I'M YOUR ENERMY"
Mid-EP, the tone shifts from societal observation to direct confrontation with "I'M YOUR ENERMY" (note the deliberately raw, almost misspelled aggression in the title). This track is the sonic encapsulation of their DIY ethos. It is the two-finger salute not just to the industry, but to anyone standing in the way of merit and hard work. The band is candid about the "opportunity ceiling" and the industry's failure to "invest and take risks on unknown artists." "I'M YOUR ENERMY" is the sound of that ceiling being violently kicked through. Expect a track that is heavy, hostile, and utterly unapologetic—the anthem of the talented, overlooked artist who has nothing left to lose. This is likely the track where Lee Kiernan’s "unrepeatable soundboard configuration" (the gear they dream of stealing) would feel most at home, offering a unique, noise-driven texture to their righteous fury.
Track 3: "I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE"
Closing the EP is the ultimate cynical send-off, "I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE." If "animals" identifies the problem and "I'M YOUR ENERMY" provides the resistance, this closer offers the ultimate conclusion: a disillusioned exit strategy. It reflects the band’s call to "get off your sofas, and start taking the new world seriously." The track likely builds to a climax of frustrated acceptance, a sonic statement that if you aren't ready to engage and tell better stories, then perhaps you're better off leaving the stage entirely. It’s a powerful, self-aware sign-off that leaves the listener not with a sense of closure, but with a challenge echoing in their ears.
As Rome Burns are no purists. They don't wear self-funding as a badge of moral superiority, but as a temporary necessity born from an industry that "lacks the foresight to invest and take risks." This isn’t two fingers to the machine; it's a frustrated elbow jab. They respect meritocracy but know the industry isn't one. The statement that they would be "listening" if the industry came knocking shows a sharp, self-aware pragmatism—they use the DIY route to prove their worth, not to maintain a philosophical high ground.