This is my first review here on SputnikMusic, so please, if you have any criticism with the review, be kind…
Artist: From First to Last
Album: Heroine
Genre: Post-Hardcore
Label: Epitaph Records
The band itself doesn’t have a bassist due to the fact their old bassist left the band. Bass for this album was contributed by Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit, Black Lights Burn).
Review:
“It’s one thing to play a certain type of music,” says singer Sonny Moore dismissively, “but it’s another thing to have no originality.”
Strong words there. Maybe it’s because of the current music scene where kids with their tight skinny jeans and ‘mop-like’ hair, who like a band just for their looks, not for the musical content. From First to Last’s first album ‘Dear Diary… My Teen Angst Has a Body Count’ was generally well received because of its infusion of genres such as Punk and Hardcore. But because of the current state of the music scene, you have many ‘scene’ kids falling in love with the album just because of the band members. In my opinion, ‘Dear Diary…’ was an enjoyable listen, especially the drumming.
Now enter ‘Heroine’. The 2nd full length EP from the band and released via Epitaph Records. For the band itself, the band wanted to be original, to lean away from the style which other bands now fill the airwaves with (Hawthorne Heights anyone??). From listening to just the first minute of the album, you know straight away that the band are trying to reach out from being ‘commercial’ and are experimenting with new things (In this case… creating a more ‘darker’ sound to ‘Dear Diary…’, and yes, it’s a LOT darker).
“We are so pleased,” Moore says. “Before we started, we all said, ‘We’re not going to make this record unless it’s a record we truly love.’ And we did. This is the first time I’ve ever been so proud of a piece of art in my life.”
‘Heroine’ is a album not to be joked about. Lyrically it’s more optimistic than its predecessor. Richter and Good’s songwriting veered from missionary style post-emo to dramatic industrial rock and progressive art-punk. When From First to Last began talking with Epitaph about who they wanted to work with on the album, they kept coming back to the same name: Ross Robinson, a renowned passionate in-studio presence who has helped make time-defining records for bands like KoRn, Slipknot and At The Drive-In…
Track By Track:
1. Mothersound – 3.5/5
Mothersound,
What have they done to you?
You're withering away in the cold
The first song from the album and it’s a good one. Fans from the original album will be surprised in the way the song is built. From the ‘spooky’ ambient noises in the beginning of the song with Sonny’s vocals. The vocal’s on this track is good. You can feel the emotion. Also the general sound of the song (and much like the rest of the album) is dark. The guitars/bass have more of a raw edge to them and the drumming again is still good. There is a particularly nice breakdown near the end of the song which is well constructed. A welcome start to the album.
2. The Latest Plague – 4.5/5
Fake faces everywhere I see,
Fake people looking back at me
Sit down, don't tell me,
Don't tell me where I don't belong
The first single to be taken off this album. Personally after hearing the whole album, its one of my favourite songs. Even though the song still has a darker theme, it’s catchy. The chorus of the song will have you singing in your mind for a period of time and overall it’s just a good track. The video for this song is rather weird. It’s kind of hard to explain but you should be able to make your own views soon because it’s the single they are releasing to help promote the new album. The interlude part of the song is also a nice touch and Wes on bass does a nice job.
3. …And We All Have A Hell – 2.5/5
I did a beautiful thing,
Relax baby, that's a good girl
You're like my work of art
To be honest, its not one of the songs I enjoy on this album. I just don’t really like the general way the song sounds. I know that the band are trying to be creative in trying out new things but of course in trying out new things, it might not be in some people’s tastes. One of the highlights of the track though is Sonny’s vocal performance. Overall I feel that he has improved vocally compared to ‘Dear Diary…’ and this song I feel is a good song of him displaying his talent in what is a rather mediocre song.
4. Afterbirth – 3.5/5
Any where is better than here away from you
Make me, break me, give me away
Lie to me, you lied so bad, give me away
In the opening you can hear a lot of distortion noise being made which then leads into a nice riff from the lead guitar. Then Sonny takes over with the bass following him. The chorus is nice but it’s not as catchy as ‘The Latest Plague’. Late in the song we hear Travis’s familiar screams which add to a nice touch. Personally I like his screams. Songs from the ‘Dear Diary…’ album such as ‘Kiss, Me I’m Contagious’ is rather enjoyable. It’s nice that his vocal input is not being put to waste. This and the distortion from the beginning of the song make a rather nice ending.
5. World War Me – 3/5
I'm on the verge of self destruction
Suffering because of my selfish vices
The opening is Travis just basically screaming down the microphone. It’s one of the heavier songs on the album but again, I’m don’t really enjoy this track as much as I do the others. After the opening Sonny takes over with the vocals throughout the rest of the song. I got a kind of feeling that this song might be a kind of a ‘filler’ and people who normally expect to find a filler at this stage of a album normally expect the album to gradually get worse. Luckily it doesn’t…
6. Shame Shame – 4/5
If ignorance is bliss
Eradicate my knowledge of my history
Now meaning is left on my own
One of the better songs on the album in my view. As a whole, it’s produced well and everything in the song helps work with one another. Vocals on this song are good, the guitar leads are good but for me the standout has to be Derek’s drumming. Think ‘Ride The Wings Of Pestilence’ in terms of quality. Plus I like the chorus with Sonny’s vocals bellowing out ‘Shame! Shame!’… It’s a really good track as a whole and definitely a defining moment in the album.
7. The Crows Are Coming For Us – 4/5
The crows are coming for us
Let them live, let them live
Again, the album picks up in terms of quality, one of the better tracks on the CD. A nice quieter intro with drums which itself, leads into a nice sounding section with a good lead guitar riff. Lyrically, it’s not the greatest song on the album but the way the song is structured is nice. The best part of the song though is three quarters of the way in, with Sonny singing ‘The crows are coming for us…’ and the other members singing ‘Let them live, let them live’. That part of the song is definitely something you’ll sing to yourself too. All in all, a solid song.
8. The Levy – 4/5
Faith, at least in the form of gravity
keeps me low at the ladder
Time to crawl to the salty hill that fills my life
This is the first song I heard from ‘Heroine’ thanks to From First to Last’s MySpace page. The song itself got a mixed reception basically because of the fact the fans quite simply wasn’t expecting something like this. It starts out with just a piano then the guitar comes in with a crunching riff and the bass follows. Drumming again through the song is great. Again, the band is experimenting with a different style. Unlike ‘World War Me’ previously, I feel that this is a better attempt and overall it’s just a great song. Again Sonny’s vocals are excellent.
9. Waves Goodbye – 3/5
There's an ocean out my window
There's beauty in its tears
There's an ocean out my window
It's crashing in my ears
Definitely the quietest song on the album. There not really any ‘heavy’ parts in the song at all. All it is for most of the time are just a guitar and Matt and Sonny both singing. The way the two just combine vocally is a rather nice touch but for me the song is just to slow. Halfway through the song though, enters something different. Ambient/Electro noises take over which is something similar you’ll expect to here from a Nine Inch Nails record or something. It has a good beat and for me is the standout part of this track.
10. Waltz Moore – 2.5/5
I can't remember
The last time I've seen my own eyes
Or the color of my skin
Do you know
What it's like to feel ugly all the time
This song just doesn’t do it for me. Even though Wes on bass does a solid job on this song as well as Derek on drums and the odd decent guitar lead here and there, there’s nothing on this song that has like a ‘wow-factor’. The lyrics on this song are really depressing (emo if you like). There’s nothing for me on this track that really stands on for me. It’s kind of disappointing.
11. Heroine – 4.5/5
Heroine, our heroine
where have you been when I needed you?
And now for the last song of the CD and just like its predecessor it leaves probably its best for last (‘Dear Diary…’ had ‘Ride the Wings of Pestilence’ for its ‘real’ final track). The longest song of the album, coming in at just shy of six minutes, and because of its length, its gives the song a feel of being an ‘epic’. It starts of quietly with everything just being built up for the verse in which Derek again does some really good quality drumming. Then enters Sonny which I feel is one of better vocal performances of the album as well as Wes on bass playing a nice bass line. Despite having a short amount of lyrics for a six minute song, the song I feel is to represent what the band can do creatively with their music. Definitely one of the best songs of the album.
Overview:
It’s a good album. Of course the change in style in their sound means it will most likely take the average music listener a couple of listens to get used to it. The fact that it’s a lot darker than ‘Dear Diary…’ will put of some fans of this album but that fact that the band are willing to create/tryout something new, I give them respect to that. I know its hard to be recognized as a band because of the music which is currently being played and with this album, I think the From First to Last is more than just a one trick pony.
Pros (+):
- Derek’s drumming is still has good as its predecessor.
- Ross Robinson has done a good job on the production of the album.
- Sonny’s vocal performance is great.
- The band is trying out new things with their music.
Cons (-):
- The new ‘sound’ might scare away some of its original listeners.
- Wes does show that he can play bass in some parts, but most of the time, the bass is used to help with the guitars.
Recommended Tracks:
The Latest Plague
Heroine
Shame Shame
The Crows Are Coming For Us
SCORE: 3.5/5
