Yet another facet of the aforementioned Detroit scene is exemplified by the Indie Rock melodicism-meets-Thrash Metal mayhem of We Came as Romans, a wildly eclectic sextet from Motown and nearby Troy, Mich. The band began six years ago when a group of friends assembled as This Emergency, soldiering on through a succession of personnel changes (only guitarist Joshua Moore and vocalist/screamer David Stephens remain from the original lineup), retooling as We Came As Romans in 2006.  

The stylistic range in Detroit that was once defined by the distance between Motown and The Stooges has become less extreme over time but, as always, there are fascinating examples of the scene's diversity and health. A potent case in point is Conspiracy of Owls, a band with a name that screams Emo (it's actually the title of a track from Robert Pollard's 'Fiction Man' album) but whose musical output couldn't be more unexpected.