By: Peter Gaston
From First to Last’s Derek Bloom and Travis Richter are actually credited for screaming on their band’s sophomore set, Heroine. But full-force screamo, this is not. Instead of channeling rock’s darker demons, the duo’s larynx shredding output gets deftly layered as part of the record’s chugging backline. The results make From First to Last sound more like a tormented, post-millennial Alice in Chains than yet another metal tinged brat pack. Some of that also stems from the involvement of producer Ross Robinson, the knob fiddler behind ’90s classics from Korn, Slipknot, and At the Drive-In. Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland, another ’90s torchbearer, filled in as the band’s in-studio bassist.
The veteran presence clearly aids the evolution of this young band; singer Sonny Moore joined the band in 2002 at age 15 while they were recording their debut, Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count, which sold over 100,000 copies and prompted three Warped Tour stints. But Heroine is a more serious affair, from the title all the way through. The slick first single, “The Levy,” has a bit of Korn’s guitar drenched swagger, and punchy verses that lend themselves equally to the dancefloor and the circle pit.
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From First to Last tour dates:
3/28, Las Cruces, NM (Aggie Memorial Stadium) 3/29, Glendale, AZ (Glendale Arena) 3/30, Las Vega, NV (The Joint) 3/31, Fresno, CA (Selland Arena) 4/1, San Diego, CA (Bayside Concerts) 4/2, San Luis Obispo, CA (Downtown Brew) 4/4, Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles Sports Arena) 4/5, San Jose, CA (Event Center at San Jose State University) 4/6, Sparks, NV (The New Oasis) 4/7, Salem, OR (The Pavilion) 4/8, Tacoma, WA (Tacoma Dome) 4/9, Vancouver, BC (Pacific Coliseum) 4/11, Orem, UT (David O. McKay Events) 4/12, Denver, CO (Magness Arena) 4/13, Kansas City, MO (City Market) 4/14, St. Paul, MN (Xcel Energy Center) 4/15, Council Bluff, IA (Mid America Center) 4/16, Des Moines, IA (Val Air Ballroom) 4/18, Milwaukee, WI (US Cellular Arena) 4/19, Chicago, IL (UIC Pavilion) 4/20, Auburn Hills, MI (The Palace of Auburn Hills) 4/21, Buffalo, NY (HSBC Arena) 4/22, Pittsburgh, PA (Chevrolet Amphitheatre at Station) 4/23, Dayton, OH (Hara Arena) 4/25, Jacksonville, FL (Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena) 4/26, Miami, FL (UM Convocation Center) 4/27, Tampa, FL (St. Pete Times Forum) 4/29, Birmingham, AL (Sloss Furnaces National History Landmark) 4/30, Duluth, GA (Gwinnett Arena) 5/2, Charlotte, NC (Cricket Arena) 5/3, Norfolk, VA (Ted Constant Convocation Center) 5/4, Columbia, MD (Merriweather Post Pavilion) 5/5, Bridgeport, CT (Arena at Harbor Yard) 5/6, East Rutherford, NJ (Meadowlands Fair) 5/7, Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Blossom Music Center) 5/9, Columbus, OH (PromoWest Pavilion) 5/10, Hershey, PA (Giant Center) 5/11, New Haven, CT (Toad’s Place) 5/12, Montreal, QC (Stade Uniprix) 5/13, Toronto, ON (Ricoh Coliseum) 5/15, Chicago, IL (UIC Pavilion)
From First to Last official site
