Review Summary: From First to Last’s self titled third record is at times underwhelming, inconsistent and almost always leaves you wanting Moore.
When the face of From First to Last Sonny Moore left the band, many critics and fans questioned the future of the group. Hell many fans could have cared less and forgot about the group altogether. The controversy and sh
it talk that surrounded the group for months is undoubtedly the reason why they disabled their myspace comments. With all of these recent happenings it is no secret that From First to Last knew they had to prove something with their debut in the post-Moore era. Sadly one of the bigger problems on the record is found in that statement. Plenty of times the group plain and simple tries too hard to be inspirational and goes overboard. Other times they seem uncertain of themselves and fail to deliver the quality songwriting they did in the past. In the midst of it all,
From First to Last still has a fair amount to enjoy. Unfortunately, there is an equal amount of underwhelming and at times just plain disappointing material.
Even with a lost member there are several pleasant characteristics of the group that have carried onto their new release. Their lovely hooks are certainly one of them. The opener
“Two As One” does exactly what it needs to in hitting listener’s with a sense of urgency and letting them know Matt Good is a competent vocalist while staying in his comfort zone. The hook is commendable as are its subtle, low mixed pinch harmonics and moderately heavy instrumental bridge. Their trademark catchy and edgy pop punk and post hardcore fusion is shown in proper form right from the get go. This formula continues to succeed in a latter track
“I Once Was Lost, But Now Am Profound.” It features a perfect amount of tongue in cheek lyrically, another irresistible hook and a rock solid performance from the rhythm section. Drummer Derek Bloom continues to shine as arguably the group’s most talented member. His fills come hard and come often yet are rarely overwhelming. His black metal background (yes, seriously) really shows through his impressive tom shuffles and pummeling double bass. While Derek seems constantly at the top of his game, the same cannot be said for the rest of the group.
Knowing he has something to prove, vocalist/guitarist Matt Good delivers a small handful of faux-inspirational tunes which just go way overboard.
“We All Turn Back To Dust” has a soft guitar and vocal intro that features his at times painfully whiny tone. His oddly placed and unconvincing falsettos do little for the song. Things really go sour throughout the chorus as a backing vocal pattern constantly follows Good. It’s incredibly dramatic and may fit but by the third time it becomes too much. The group really could have saved it for the final chorus and gotten a surprising climax instead of annoying repetition.
“A Perfect Mess” pretty much describes itself with its title. Its impressive and heavy introduction is incredibly exciting but sadly things go way downhill from there. Lyrically the entire track is a bit too cheesy for the group with the verses being God-awful,
“Well well well with a women like you who needs to get out of bed?/Well well well with a women like you who needs to have any friends?” Good really goes out of his comfort zone in every single chorus by having the final sustained melody jump all over the place. The instrumental sections are much stronger than the vocal performance but the outro wanders on seemingly in an attempt to prove the group still has some tricks up their sleeves. Unfortunately, the group seems to be stuck in a more confined range musically than they previously were.
Even worse is the fact that it becomes a little obvious they know this. But in order to almost deceive listeners they try to provide the illusion they are experimenting. Rarely does this work to their advantage as they come off as doubtful and unsure.
“Worlds Away” features a darn boring performance from Matt as he attempts to be dramatic once again. This song is really the first taste of a major problem with his voice: a generic tone. While he has a respectable range, he really doesn’t sound good using all of it. With his verse performances causing drowsiness, the choruses playing like All American Rejects with their gain turned up three notches and a cheesy bridge with falsetto ohh’s ruining it the song is a disappointment. Such a shame since Derek played his heart out and got help from Manning on the four strings. Thankfully with failure comes success.
“Medicinal Reality” features interesting guitar parts throughout and some overdue properly placed and executed falsettos. The group finally takes advantage of them as they immediately crescendo into a huge chorus. Between a stronger sense of unity and some uniquely spacious guitar melodies the track is probably the best representation of success while straying away from the norm. Such a shame the group couldn’t replicate this accomplishment more.
This does outline consistency as one of the mains problem with the record. It’s honestly unsurprising as Matt often seems just plain uncertain. It’s a fairly bold move to self title your album after loosing what many would consider an essential member. While Matt is a competent singer, the consistent quality and uniqueness of his vocals is far inferior to Sonny. Musically almost every aspect delivers to the expected quality with drums certainly taking the spotlight. Sadly, songwriting has taken a plunge as once more the group seems doubtful and confused on where to go. The two minute finale
“In Memorium In Advance” comes off as a lazy soft song and once more touches on a theme of uncertainty. The lines
“When everything is gone/When everything has fallen out of place/Who will remember me?” seem to contradict and completely imbalance the strong sense of urgency and confidence present when the record began. The truth is the group doesn’t have their identity intact. This might be a step toward it or even redefining it all together. But don’t be fooled,
From First to Last is not From First to Last as much as it is From First to Last trying to find themselves again and failing in the process.
Final Rating: 2/5
