Not many other bands have personified the emo kid stereotypes as much as From First To Last. The young band has had many arguments that led to members leaving and new ones being found via MySpace. Meanwhile, their heavy use of guyliner, black T-shirts and lyrics about love lost have made them stars in the minds of those who learn about new music from Hot Topic. Now they’re back, armed with a new self-titled album and yet another new vocalist.
Even with former guitarist Matt Good now handling the vocal responsibilities, From First To Last fails to deliver anything more than what the band’s done in the past. They’ve essentially combined the screamo sounds of their debut Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count with the slick production of the follow-up, Heroine.
The album’s opener, "Two As One," displays a band that has finally found their true sound. Chugging guitars lead the verses along until the chorus hits and Good’s shrieking voice explodes in a way that former frontman Sonny Moore could never do. The lyrics – "Two as one / For all the nights we missed / Fuck if I wasn’t such a pessimist this chapter could’ve played out differently" – aren’t great, but they’re sung with an aggressiveness not before displayed.
The following song, "The Other Side," which is even more explosive. The screaming is utilized as only another layer to the song instead of a dominating ingredient, which makes it much less obnoxious. Derek Bloom’s work on the drums is also ferocious and heart-pounding here, powering the track.
However, after such a strong start, the album veers off into all directions. There are mid-tempo cuts – "Worlds Away" – awkward concoctions of funk and screaming – "Deliverance!" – and just plain messes – "Medicinal Reality" – that underwhelm after the strong start.
As a fairly polarizing band, From First To Last’s new record won’t turn any haters into lovers or vice versa. They’ll never be labeled as a "good" band, but it’s nice to see that they may have figured out who they are, even if that means being Hot Topic heroes.
