From First to Last
Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count

Release Date: 2004 | Tracklist

I'll be the first to admit when I was in high school I wanted to be an "emo" kid. I remember seeing From First to Last for the first time and probably at one of the worst times for I was a very impressionable person as it turned out. They were everything I wanted to be and more. They were dark, depressing and had (at least to me) an undeniable cool factor about them. Now if I ever met my goal of being "emo" I may never know but one of the things I can remember from my high school years is "Dear Diary, My Teen Angst has a Body Count" as this album explains a period of time in my life when I wanted to be something that I clearly wasn't.

After a short "Soliloqoy" the album starts off with the drum fueled "The One Armed Boxer Vs the Flying Guillotine", lines like "I'm glad you've graced me with your presence you're in time to see me wrestle with my conscience" aren't terribly original but also don't come off as annoying as many most other scene bands so often do. The slow drum fade out from "The One Armed Boxer" into "Note to Self" is a very nice touch to the album as it allows a nice flow to move the tracks along. "Note to Self" opens strong with the guitar and bass playing off each other to produce the instrumental highlight of the album. The lyrics again don't seem too original "note to self I miss you terribly" but again they have sort of a "cliché" charm to them. Matt Good and Sonny Moore often switch singing duties to add extra depth to the tracks which works very nicely but may be difficult to tell apart as their vocal performances are slightly similar. "Featuring Some of Your Favorite Words" is a well rounded track which showcases Sonny utilizing a faster singing style as fast guitar riffs play throughout. "Emily" may be the most hit or miss track on the album for it is slow acoustic affair that may either come off as passionately sweet or just downright annoying. The decision may lie in whether you find Sonny's vocal style pleasing or simply annoying.

The second half of the album holds a few hidden gems such as "Populance in Two" with a few standout lyrics such as, "even if I spent 2004 listening to Morrissey in my car I'm better off alone than I would be in your arms". "Kiss me I'm Contagious" switches things up with a more hardcore style and harsher vocals. The theme of the song is a western setting in which Sonny seemingly doesn't take anybody's s*** , "he took 12 rounds straight to the chest" and ends with Sonny trying to hook up with a nice western lady of some sort, "can I touch your legs? do I make you sweat?". All in all the track has a charm to it that some may find while others will write it off as gimmicky or generic. After a short and slightly underwhelming "Minute", the albums guitar interlude of sorts the album ends strong with "Ride the Wings of Pestilence" which stays interesting with some very fine drumming and catchy guitar riffs strung throughout the track.

While the original album only shows 11 tracks in total there is 12th track titled, well, "Hidden Track". The track seems to show what From First to Last do right. A spectacular choppy guitar riff aided by some smooth bass playing and stellar drumming. The track while probably not meant to be comedic has some fairly amusing lines such as "I might be your baby's daddy but that don't mean s***". The track also incorporates a rapper towards the end and while he doesn't do anything too special he definately adds a subtle hint of originality not found on most of the album.

To state the flaws simply Sonny Moore sounds like he has a broken nose. His voice is sometimes irritating highlighted on "Emily". The sound of a singers voice has rarely ever turned me off of a band and I find that Sonny's voice adds some charm to From First to Last's music that Matt's voice alone could not. This is a highly enjoyable album for what it's worth and deserves a listen regarding you're into darker scene music. While I have grown up and am none to enthused to hear of another generic "emo" bands debut I still respect this album as it is one those bands that opened a door for me for much better music.

Recommended Tracks

Note to Self
Populance in Two
Hidden Track

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3.5 great

Rank: #174 for 2004