From First To Last – Dear Diary, My Teenage Angst Has A Bodycount

NOFX, The Vandals, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, Bad Religion, Pulley, Bombshell Rocks, Bouncing Souls, Decendents, Dwarves, Guttermouth, No Fun At All, Offspring, Refused, Pennywise. What do all of those bands have in common? Well, they are, or were, all on the Epitaph Records roster. All of them have released classic punk rock albums on the powerful indie label. All of these bands are powerful punk bands, and many of them have been cited as influnces by up and coming bands. Now, there is a new sound that is becoming well known and very popular. That is emo and screamo.Epitaph Records isn’t a label you would normally assoiate with those genres, so you may be like me and be wondering why is Epitaph signing bands like Scatter The Ashes and From First To Last? And when you listen to Dear Diary, My Teenage Angst Has A Bodycount, you will wonder even more.

Right away, let me tell you that From First To Last doesn’t belong on the Epitaph roster. They are a emo/scremo band mixing metal and some minor punk together. The blood curling screams are boring, and don’t really push their sound forward. The best part of their songs are when they are just singing, then it is bearable and you are able to listen to it, that is why I like Emily, they only sing and don’t scream at all; but once it breaks into the screams again, you find yourself trying to ignore it. Musically, they have some talent, and they show that they know how to play on certain songs. But I have heard many screamo/emo bands create better musical melodies.

From First To Last isn’t an amazing emo/scremo band. There are a lot out there that are better. But what really makes them stand out is the label. It is a huge surprise to see them on the Epitaph roster, and I wonder, why did Mr. Brett sign them?