Las Vegas hardcore punks Roman Candle honed their sound in the van, paying their dues on the road and sharing stages with great bands such as Norma Jean, Dying Wish, and Militarie Gun. Initially formed by guitarist Jonas Vece and vocalist Piper Ferrari, the lineup is now completed by bassist Sergio Lopez and drummer Alex Dupuis solidifying the rhythm section.
The release of 2022’s Discount Fireworks EP was followed by the double single Can We Watch Something Happy / My Silence Costs More Than You Can Afford in 2024, and How To Be Considered When You’re Not In The Room from The Dogs Of Hope compilation in 2025. The band travelled to the UK for the first time last year, hopping on a joint headline tour with London’s Shooting Daggers, giving them their first taste of touring outside of the US. After signing with Sumerian Records, they announced their debut LP Unadulterated.
Since then, there’s been a steady drip of singles, beginning with Fire In The Night Sky Forever seven months ago. Ferrari’s lyrics are visually descriptive, often depicting scenes of revenge and violent imagery. “A series of lies, like trails of gasoline / You’ll reap what you sow, I’ll make sure to drop the match” is followed by a scream so raw, the pain is palpable. Dupuis’ drumming here is both emotionally impactful and technically impressive, helping to dial up the dramatic nature of the song.
On Blasphemous Act, Ferrari whispers “Run for your life”, flooding your thoughts with horror-filled nightmares. The song begins with strings and a spoken word sample. The use of samples is common in hardcore music, and something the band have played with before to great effect on Mad Girl’s Love Song. It’s an angular, near-chaotic opening to the LP, blending elements of punk, screamo, and metal.
Second single This Band Has Led Me To Places I Wouldn’t Go With A Gun is a great nod to the punk and emo tradition of very long song titles. Musically, Roman Candle are burning white hot, with Vece playing some particularly jarring riffs and Dupuis demonstrating his fast hands with some great fills. Ferrari sings of being emotionally trapped in the past while fantasising about breaking free: “It’s like my finger on the trigger and you’ll never see it coming.”
Can We Watch Something Happy? is emotionally complex, with references to making a deal with the devil framed within a parent-child relationship: “Can you make me better? Can you make me holy?” Ferrari doesn’t feel the need to cloak her lyrics; instead, she leaves them uncomfortably raw. The repeated phrase “One more time” works extremely well as a lyrical hook, hammered home by the powerful double kick drum.
On Lady Lazarus, Roman Candle slow things down in the middle section, allowing the track to breathe before Ferrari delivers a direct spoken word passage reflecting on how we’re shaped by our past—and how this can lead to a bleak future: “I learned young how to fend for myself, so now my temper will be the reason I end up dead.” The song ends with Ferrari spitting lines of incandescent rage: “Give me your dead stare, I eat men like air.” Her delivery is utterly fearless in its intensity.
Ferrari, who also happens to be a talented graphic artist, utilises a striking palette of scarlet and black for the record’s cover art. The person’s smile suggests retribution rather than happiness, linking directly with the dark lyrical themes and the chaotic, off-kilter nature of the music. Vece offers something completely different in the opening riff of On Second Thought, Maybe Gaslighting Is Real, with an acoustic passage that could easily have been lifted from Iron & Wine, proving he’s a versatile player with a strong ear for melody. For Once My Hands Are Still forgoes distorted guitars altogether, leading with a brooding single-note line of guitar, bass, and drums, layered with unsettling textures. The result is the most atmospheric track on the LP, with a droning quality as samples increase in volume in a repeating pattern.
Unadulterated is a pure and unflinching record in its sonic delivery. The stark, unsettling lyrical content provides a sense of catharsis. Themes of vengeance, cruelty, and fate are delivered like a knife drawn across the palm—the blade separating flesh and exposing bone beneath. The physical and emotional scars we suffer in life may fade, but they carry forward. With Ferrari out front, backed by the vehement playing of Vece, Dupuis, and Lopez, Roman Candle have delivered on their promising beginnings.
For fans of: I Promised The World, envy, Orchid
‘Unadulterated’ by Roman Candle is released on 24th April on Sumerian Records.
Words by Ross Peacey
