Review Summary: "Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count" may not be cutting edge or innovative but it's still damn catchy.
From First To Last. I kept seeing their name for about four years before I decided to pick up a copy of "Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count". I had always written them off as a trend due to an ever increasing army of teenagers worshiping their now ex-vocalist Sonny Moore, the man who wrote the dress code for the fringe wearing population. Upon encountering the first song I was pleasantly surprised... and continued to be as the record played through.
There is no real genre that FFTL fall under. Are they Metalcore? Pop-Punk? Emo? Screamo? The answer to this question is "none of the above". I've heard them labeled as a Post-Hardcore / Pop-Punk band but neither genre really sticks. They borrow elements from so many different genres that they have escaped classification which, to me, can be a breath of fresh air amongst the Deathcore bands being signed left and right ever since Job For A Cowboy signed to Metal Blade Records.
I realize now that Sonny Moore wasn't praised for his good looks alone. He is also a damn good vocalist... at times. His range is interesting and pivots between screams and several different styles of clean vocals (which dominate the record). When I say clean vocals we're not talking anything spectacular but the way he delivers them is unusual and definitely different. Band mate Matt Good (Guitar) carries a large portion of the vocal duties to reinforce Sonny's faltering whine here and again because quite frankly, Sonny can't sing. I never realized that lines from this album are used frequently on Myspace profiles, such as "Guns go bang!" (from "Kiss Me, I'm Contagious") or "Note to self, I miss you terribly" (from "Note To Self") which only reinforces the popularity of the band and as a "Scene" entity.
If you're looking for a soul crushing break down, look no further than the next to last track "Ride The Wings Of Pestilence". The end of this song puts most Metalcore break downs to shame with it's ferocity and vicious vocal delivery. This is probably the most "Metal" FFTL gets on the album but alongside it are 10 other songs that actually, believe it or not, distinguish themselves from one another. From the Industrial leanings of "I Liked You Better Before You Were Naked On The Internet" or the emotionally driven anthem that is "Emily" (and is a testament as to why Matt Good was present on many of the other tracks) the band shows you that nothing is off limits. Sometimes they're a Pop-Punk band trotting out numbers like "Note To Self" and "Populace In Two" and then they get fed up and write something with a metallic tinge such as "Kiss Me, I'm Contagious", "Secrets Don't Make Friends", the already mentioned "Ride The Wings Of Pestilence" and their hidden track. There is also an instrumental just over a minute long named "Minuet" which showcases the classical training of one of their guitarists.
The production of the record is rough around the edges and sometimes you have to listen closely if you want to pick out some of the cool guitar harmonies lurking beneath the vocals but it's not unbearable to listen to. Their drummer has to be one of the best I've heard in awhile, constantly changing up his timing and executing his fills like they were on death row.
Overall, From First To Last is a decent act and worth the listen but it's not to say that this album hasn't been done before by a more established group. You can hear a great deal of Thrice in their sound and they give off a vibe of being a deeply disturbed version of My Chemical Romance. Another downside to FFTL is that Sonny Moore's lyrics are awful... but you can't expect much different from someone as young as he was (barely 16) recording this album to be a prize winning poet. There are a few one liners that stand out nicely but as far as the whole album is concerned there's just no creativity or power behind his empty words. The title for the album is also a pitfall because it brings a whole new meaning to the term "limiting your demographic".
"Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count" is not as bad a record as I was led to believe. I enjoyed many aspects of it despite the band's "Scene kid" following which has made them infamous amongst music circles. If you like emotive, catchy songs in the Pop-Punk vein that have a slight Hardcore/Metal influence like Boys Night Out, My Chemical Romance, The Used, and Thrice then you will definitely find a place for this in your car stereo... and chances are that if you listen to any of the bands I just listed you're already listening to From First To Last.
