FROM A SECOND STORY WINDOW

The genre of mathcore has never been something I've been much enthused by, and From A Second Story Window is no exception. Here is a band who brand themselves as 'music for attention-deficit people', and if nothing else, they live up to their name. Although their debut EP 'Not One Word Has Been Omitted' is broken up into five tracks, From A Second Story Window takes the handful of musical ideas they have and tosses them into a disjointed mess. Barring the cringeworthy vocals and tendency to lean towards the breakdown-reminiscent guitar chugging, the EP could have been great, but some serious problems hold this talented act back.

Although they play a style of music I am usually averse to, FASSW are certainly skilled musicians. Even when it comes to the chug-chug guitar lines, the music is played tightly. There are even sparse sections throughout the EP where the band gets quite technical. However, these moments of grace are made few and far between, instead giving it to a fairly consistent sound that falls somewhere between deathcore, grind, and math rock. The tempo is not quite slow enough to be called a 'breakdown', but that's the impression I get from many of the band's rhythms. The distorted adolescent scream of Sean Vandegrift does not help things either; in fact, the vocals here are one of the chief elements that can make the EP difficult to listen to, at times. They are garbled to the point where they would not sound out of place in a cybergrind project, but still maintain the soulless wisp of 'core' vocals that I dislike so much.

Thankfully, there are aspects that indicate to me that From A Second Story Window are a pretty talented group, regardless of shortcomings. As I've said, the music is performed quite well, and when it comes to their math rock sounds, FASSW incorporate dissonance moderately enough into their sound to make it work. 'No Word Has Been Omitted' is not an entirely hopeless effort, but there are enough negatives to have me think twice before returning to it.

In terms of my actual enjoyment of the music, I would give this album 4 stars, but by PA's standards I award it 3: a good and very interesting album, but not essential by any means. Recommended to fans of extreme metal who have already gone through the staples of the genre (BTBAM, Opeth, et cetera). Not recommended for those just trying to get into the genre, and certainly not recommended to those who don't like growled vocals.