After the Aesthetic EP, Reardon was asked to leave the band for various reasons and Antillon was replaced by Jon Weisberg after he was arrested for shoplifting and unable to tour. The rest of the band members originally decided to have Good as the lead singer, but he opted to concentrate on guitar, not wanting to give it up in order to take on lead vocals. Good had wanted From First to Last to have a frontman, in order to connect with the crowd better. Using the social networking site MySpace, Good came in contact with a guitarist from California by the name of Sonny Moore, now better known as the person behind Skrillex. Moore flew out to Georgia, where the bands second album Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Bodycount was being recorded, and was set to be the band's second guitarist. However, when the other band members heard Moore singing backups, they decided that he was much better suited for lead singer than guitarist.
Good and Richter wrote the album in two weeks and Moore, coming in after the music was tracked, completed the vocals with the bands help. Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count was released on June 29, 2004.
In 2005, from late May to mid June From First to Last participated in the "Dead by Dawn" tour with bands Emanuel, Halifax and He is Legend.
From mid March to mid May 2006 the band toured along side Fall Out Boy and The All-American Rejects for the "Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour" in support of their release Heroine.
Prior, the band went to Radio Star Studios in Weed, California to record their second album, produced by Ross Robinson. As their previous bassist Weisberg had been formally asked to step out due to issues within the band's relationship, producer Ross Robinson asked Wes Borland, (currently of Black light burns,former Limp Bizkit guitarist, to play bass on their second full length Heroine. He later played several tours with the band. The album was released on March 21, 2006 and opened on the Billboard albums chart at #25, with first-week sales of 33,000-plus. Shortly thereafter in April, they signed to major label Capitol Records after bidding between Capitol Records and Warner Bros.
Meanwhile, singer Sonny Moore began to have problems with his vocal chords. From First to Last went on the "World Championship Tour" supporting Atreyu along with Every Time I Die and Chiodos. That is when new bassist Matthew Manning joined the From First to Last line up. While on that tour, Moore had vocal cord problems and had to leave the tour. The band had planned to have guitarists Good and Richter cover Moore's vocal duties for the duration of the tour until singer of Chiodos, Craig Owens, insisted that he provide lead vocals for their sets. Atreyu eventually dropped From First to Last from the tour. The band later explained, "Our plan to enable us to play the rest of the tour was disregarded and as our crew was setting up for the show in Worcester, MA we were informed that we were being kicked off of the tour. Understand that it was not our choice to leave this tour...we were forced to leave." Atreyu then returned a statement about the controversy concerning From First to Last's departure, saying, "They couldn't perform as FFTL and are no longer on this tour."
In February 2007, Moore left From First to Last to pursue his solo career. His decision to leave was based on his urge to create his own music, and also on the fact that singing in FFTL was putting an immense strain on his vocal chords. Sonny has posted new recordings on his MySpace and has recently signed onto a label, modernorganic.
After vocalist Moore's departure, FFTL faced a crisis. Their label, Capitol Records, had dropped them due to financial problems. Without a vocalist, label, permanent bassist, or any money, the band almost split. Guitarist/Vocalist Matt Good, however, decided to take on lead vocals while still providing a backup guitar role. The band also quickly picked up Matt Manning to become full-time bassist .The band then spent their remaining money on a studio in which to continue work on their already-written third album.
After completing a full mix of their new material, FFTL was picked up by Suretone Records. Shortly after they re-entered the studio to record their album again, this time with a professional crew and better quality. This was part of the reason that there was so much delay in the release. The album was supposed to be out April 19, "Just in tiume for the High-lidays" as put by the band's merch guy, Ricky Terror. Then it was postponed up till May 6th.
The band recorded for the second time in Los Angeles, with producer Josh Abraham and seasoned engineer Ryan Williams. They have since completed the album, and at midnight on November 14, 2007, they released a new song, Two as One, on their MySpace account.
FFTL began their fall headlining tour, RATHER BE SLAYIN' N00BZ, starting November 1st 2007. This tour was with fellow post hardcore bands Pierce the veil, blessthefall, Four Year Strong, and Vanna.
After RATHER BE SLAYIN' N00BZ, the band joined every time i die, the bled, august burns red, and the human abstract on Hot Topic's Take Action Tour.
On January 23rd 2008, one of the songs from the new album, We All Turn Back to Dust, was released exclusively through Billboard.com. On February 12th, From First to Last released an exclusive 2 song CD through Hot Topic. The CD features the songs "We All Turn Back to Dust" and "I Once Was Lost But Now Am Profound" from the band's Self Titled album. On March 7th, it was confirmed that "Worlds Away" would be the album's first single. It hit radio on March 17th. The Video Debuted on AOL.
The new album received mixed reviews. With Sonny no longer in the band many people felt that From First to Last had lost their unique sound. Alternative Press magazine had reviewed their self titled album poorly, giving it a meager 2 stars, accompanied with a biased review. This had upset many other fans feel that they are better without him, or just the same.
A special edition of From First to Last's self titled is available through Hot Topic and it includes the extra track "Everything's Perfect." A more up tempo song reminiscent of their Dear Diary Days. The Japan editions include and extra track, "World's Away Acoustic." The European versions include "Tick Tick Tomorrow Acoustic" and "Medicinal Reality Acoustic." Aside from all these extra tracks, they covered "Chelsea Hotel" by leonard cohen and had it available to listen on myspace.
From First to Last plans to spend most of 2008 on the road, including a headlining slot on the Warped Tour. They have been documenting their tour life on FFTLTV, a series of videos with a new episode every week, released on Tuesdays via their youtube.
The band has a contract with EA games and will have certain songs featured on games like Facebreaker, which features Worlds Away, and Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, for which they covered the "Hell March" theme by Frank Klepacki.
Derek Bloom and Travis Richter have a side project called the color of violence.
The band has recently reformed and announced a new EP to soon be recorded and released in 2014.
Ride the Wings of Pestilence
From First to Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll be waiting in the dark
To drive this blade
Straight through your heart
I'll drag your body to the car
As blood races down my arm
I think everyone will wonder
Where you are, do you?
I'll hide you in my walls
Your body will never be found
I'll wear your skin as a suit
Pretend to be you
Your friends will like you
More than they used to
Dear diary, my teen angst bullshit
Has a body count
I believe its six going on seven now
Seven now
I've been dreaming about you
In a pool of your own blood
With your eyes gouged out
By the work of my thumbs
The scent of your insides
From under the floorboards
The perfect perfume
To settle a score
I'll hide you in my walls
Your body will never be found
I'll wear your skin as a suit
Pretend to be you
Your friends will like you
More than they used to
Pretend to be you
Your friend will like you More than they used to
Ride the wings of
Ride the wings of
Ride the wings of pestilence
Ride the wings of pestilence
Ride the wings of pestilence
Ride the wings of pestilence
These lyrics are from the song "Ride the Wings of Pestilence" by From First to Last. The song is about a person who is deeply disturbed and has a desire to kill and wear the skin of their victim. The opening lines convey the person's intention to hide in the shadows and wait for their victim to arrive. They plan to stab the victim with a blade and drag the body to their car, with blood dripping down their arm. They believe that everyone will wonder where their victim has gone.
The next stanza reveals that the person plans to hide the victim's body in their walls so that it will never be found. They will then wear the victim's skin as a suit and pretend to be them. This will make their victim's friends like them more than they used to. The lyrics in the third stanza are from the person's diary and suggest that they have killed six people already, with a seventh on the way. They dream about their victim lying in a pool of their own blood with their eyes gouged out.
The final lines of the song repeat the phrase "Ride the wings of pestilence," which is a metaphor for the dark, destructive thoughts and actions of the person singing the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Hiding in the shadows
I am waiting for you to let your guard down
I'll be waiting in the dark
I'll be watching you from a hidden place
To drive this blade straight through your heart
I plan on killing you with a sharp weapon
I'll drag your body to the car
I'll move your lifeless body to my vehicle
As blood races down my arm
Your blood will be all over me
I think everyone will wonder where you are, do you?
You will be missed and people will search for you
I'll hide you in my walls
I'll keep your corpse concealed in my home's structure
Your body will never be found
No one will discover your remains
I'll wear your skin as a suit
I'll wear your skin like a costume to pretend to be you
Pretend to be you
I'll deceive people into thinking I'm you
Your friends will like you more than they used to
Your friends will be fooled by me and think highly of you
Dear diary, my teen angst bullshit has a body count
I'm writing in my journal about how many people I've killed due to my negative emotions
I believe it's six going on seven now
I've killed at least six people, and I plan on killing another soon
I've been dreaming about you in a pool of your own blood
I fantasize about killing you and seeing you bleed out
With your eyes gouged out by the work of my thumbs
I visualize myself inflicting severe harm onto your eyes
The scent of your insides from under the floorboards
I've hidden your body parts and can smell their decay
The perfect perfume to settle a score
The aroma of your decay satisfies my desire for revenge
Ride the wings of pestilence
I want to cause chaos and destruction
Ride the wings of pestilence
I want to spread disease and harm
Ride the wings of pestilence
I want to inflict pain on others
Ride the wings of pestilence
I want to bring death and suffering to those around me
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Derek Alan Bloom, Jon Weisberg, Matt Good, Travis Brandon Richter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@runne_451
Lyrics
Hiding in the shadows
I'll be waiting in the dark
To drive this blade
Straight through your heart
I'll drag your body to the car
As blood races down my arm
I think everyone will wonder
Where you are, do you?
I'll hide you in my walls
Your body will never be found
I'll wear your skin as a suit
Pretend to be you
Your friends will like you
More than they used to
Dear diary, my teen angst bullshit
Has a body count
I believe its six going on seven now
Seven now
I've been dreaming about you
In a pool of your own blood
With your eyes gouged out
By the work of my thumbs
The scent of your insides
From under the floorboards
The perfect perfume
To settle a score
I'll hide you in my walls
Your body will never be found
I'll wear your skin as a suit
Pretend to be you
Your friends will like you
More than they used to
Pretend to be you
Your friend will like you More than they used to
Ride the wings of
Ride the wings of
Ride the wings of pestilence
Ride the wings of pestilence
Ride the wings of pestilence
Ride the wings of pestilence
@galvanicbeef8431
I'll be hiding in the shadows
I'll be waiting in the dark
To drive this blade
Straight through your heart
I'll drag your body to the car
As blood races down my arm
I think everyone will wonder
Where you are, do you?
I'll hide you in my walls
Your body will never be found
I'll wear your skin as a suit,
Pretend to be you
Your friends will like you
More than they used to
Dear diary, my teen angst bullshit
Has a body count
I believe its six going on seven now
I've been dreaming about you
In a pool of your own blood
With your eyes gouged out
By the work of my thumbs
The scent of your insides
From under the floorboards
The perfect perfume
To settle a score.
I'll hide you in my walls
Your body will never be found
I'll wear your skin as a suit,
Pretend to be you
Your friends will like you
More than they used to
Pretend to be you,
Your friend will like you
More than they used to
Ride the wings of pestilence
@owsela986
Hiding behind the shadows
I'll be waiting in the dark
to drive this blade straight through your heart
I'll drag your body to the car
as blood races down my arm
I think everyone will wonder where you are (tonight)
I'll hide you in my walls
your body will never be found
I'll wear your skin as a suit
Pretend to be you, your friends will like you more than they used to
Dear diary my teen angst bullshit has a body count (count)
I believe it's 6 going on 7 now (7 now)
I've been dreaming about you
in a pool of your own blood
with your eyes gouged out
by the work of my thumbs
the scent of your insides
from under the floorboards
the perfect perfume
for settling a score.
I'll hide you in my walls
your body will never be found
I'll wear your skin as a suit
Pretend to be you, your friends will like you more than they used to
Pretend to be you, your friends will like you more than they used to
Ride the wings of....
Ride the wings of....
*Ride the wings of....
Ride the wings of pestilence!
Ride the wings of pestilence!
Ride the wings of pestilence!
Ride the wings of pestilence!
*Ride the wings of pestilence!
*Ride the wings of pestilence!
*Ride the wings of pestilence!
*Ride the wings of pestilence!
@morningstar730
"Ride The Wings Of Pestilence"
Hiding behind the shadows
I'll be waiting in the dark
to drive this blade straight through your heart
I'll drag your body to the car
as blood races down my arm
I think everyone will wonder where you are (tonight)
I'll hide you in my walls
your body will never be found
I'll wear your skin as a suit
Pretend to be you, your friends will like you more than they used to
Dear diary my teen angst bullshit has a body count (count)
I believe it's 6 going on 7 now (7 now)
I've been dreaming about you
in a pool of your own blood
with your eyes gouged out
by the work of my thumbs
the scent of your insides
from under the floorboards
the perfect perfume
for settling a score.
I'll hide you in my walls
your body will never be found
I'll wear your skin as a suit
Pretend to be you, your friends will like you more than they used to
Pretend to be you, your friends will like you more than they used to
Ride the wings of....
Ride the wings of....
*Ride the wings of....
Ride the wings of pestilence!
Ride the wings of pestilence!
Ride the wings of pestilence!
Ride the wings of pestilence!
*Ride the wings of pestilence!
*Ride the wings of pestilence!
*Ride the wings of pestilence!
*Ride the wings of pestilence!
@josamaroo
I just happened upon this song for the first time in many years and oddly enough it has inspired me to write about a time in my life I really wanna forget about and a recollection no one really cares about, but nonetheless I still feel compelled to share it.
Every time I hear “RIDE THE WINGS OF PESTILENCE", it automatically reminds me of a former love, but fortunately it has absolutely nothing to do with the morbid lyrical content and everything to do with a powerful connection it once brought me and my now former lover.
In 1996 I heard Korn's amazing Self-Titled debut and I've been a very passionate metalhead ever since. I started with NU-METAL but once I heard Slipknot, SoaD, & MuDvAyNe's respective debut albums from 1999-2001, I knew NU-METAL was just not hard or melodic enough to satisfy my ever-growing tastes. By the time 2006 rolled around, I was mostly into the metalcore scene with a few of my favorite bands being Bleeding Through, Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine, Slipknot, All That Remains, and As I Lay Dying.
After we formally met due to her step-mom being a co-worker of mine, I started dating the aforementioned former love in March of 2006 and she listened to a much wider range of music but I'd say she mostly preferred Punk & Hard Rock. I remember she had every NOFX album up to that point and was starting to get into Alternative Metal bands like Flyleaf, Hurt, 10 Years, and Three Days Grace. Our relationship escalated quickly and even though we lived 25 miles apart and she was still in high school with a job in the evenings, I still drove to see her everyday. After about a month together I asked her to go with me to OZZFEST 2006, and she said yes but it was still months away. Then a month or so later she asked me to go with her to Prom and then Warped Tour 2006 later in the summer and once I realized Underoath, From Autumn To Ashes, & Bullet For My Valentine were all scheduled for our local show, I said hell yeah to Warped. As for prom, I was a little reluctant since I was 21 but her school never asked for my age so I went and had a blast, but the dj played 1 80's Hair Metal song, Warrant-Cherry Pie. I couldn't believe they didn't even have Linkin Park or Nickelback, but they laughed at me when I requested Lamb of God's-Now You Got Something To Die For.
When we were buying Warped tickets, I figured the whole reason she wanted to go was because NOFX was going to be there, and since I really dislike NOFX, I was very happy to learn NOFX was not the reason but were still there. I remember trying to go through the lineup in my head and realizing it must be AFI, but I was wrong again. She then revealed to me for the first time in our 3 months of dating that her #1 Favorite Band In The World was FROM FIRST TO LAST and the lead singer, SONNY, was her biggest crush ever and at one point she even implied that she'd most likely leave me in a heartbeat if she had the chance to fuck him. It was obviously a little unsettling to learn if given the chance, she would have probably left me hanging at Warped Tour, but I was more dumbfounded by the fact that she had never once told me she LOVED EMO/SCREAMO nor did she ever mention her undying love and support for a relatively unknown band called From First To Last. When we finally got to Warped Tour, she was crushed when it was announced FFTL had to cancel because of something to do with Sonny Boy, and I was freaking pissed when they followed that announcement by announcing both Underoath and Bullet For My Valentine also had to cancel. In the end I was stuck with NOFX and a complete waste of my day.
This was a huge revelation for me to learn since she liked EMO because I absolutely hated Emo and up to this point The Used was the only Emo band I had ever heard, but only because I saw them at Ozzfest 2002 and smoked a little with them after their set which I admit was pretty freaking awesome.
I guess I figured she'd just recently heard of FFTL at school, and they were the latest trend in a long line of My Chemical Romance ripoff bands, but I soon learned this assumption was wrong. She explained to me that FFTL were nothing like MCR nor any of the other so-called Emo bands that were being played by MTV & on the radio because those bands were all posers & FFTL was the real deal and probably closer to Screamo which sounds a little more like the music I love.
She then proved to me that she already owned 3 or 4 FFTL t-shirts, which at the time was probably all of their shirts on the market, and a collage she made about Sonny and FFTL. She drove 50 miles to get their first release, “AESTHETIC" EP, and of course she knew it didn't feature Sonny but still had to have it. She was stoked for their upcoming release that dropped in the middle of Warped Tour titled “HEROINE", but it was their debut album “DEAR DIARY, MY TEEN ANGST HAS A BODY COUNT" that she absolutely adored.
After realizing she was completely obsessed with FFTL and the fact she kinda hid it from me, made me very curious and excited to finally hear the band and album my girlfriend pretty much loved more than me.
We went on a long drive outta town just to listen to the album and she was thrilled that I was finally going to hear it, but after hearing the first full song “The one armed boxer vs. The flying guillotine" I was disappointed to say the least. At this point she knew what music I liked and FFTL was no where near it, or at least 90% of it.
“Emily" & “Secrets don't make friends" were the first 2 songs I kinda liked, and “Kiss Me, I'm Contagious" is definitely my second favorite on the album.
The only reason I personally consider “Dear Diary" a masterpiece is 100% due to the song “RIDE THE WINGS OF PESTILENCE." I'd even dare say “Dear Diary" is the Emo/Screamo equivalent to Norma Jean's acclaimed metalcore album “Bless The Martyr, Kiss The Child". Dear Diary was a game changer to the very confusing Emo/Screamo genre, and it's surprising that most critics consider the follow-up album-HEROINE to be the better of the two. Heroine definitely sounds a lot better but I think it's the lower production value that adds to it's charm.
Anyways I married that girl in 07 only to get divorced in 08. Then in 2010 we got married AGAIN, but were once again divorced in 2012. I will never talk to her again, but when I hear PESTILENCE it actually makes me miss her a little bit because that was our song. I know it's a crazy song to describe a relationship but it as you can see, it wasn't a typical relationship. In a way the album title sums everything-up perfectly. She was my teen ANGST who wanted to RIDE THE WINGS PESTILENCE and considers her multiple divorces as as a body count. Unfortunately her name is not EMILY but instead she has the same name as a MEST song that I can't even listen to anymore.
@KittyCatComa
It's still so weird almost 20 years later to know Sonny as one of the worlds top dj's.
@walkernotte3019
producer*
@zachjollimore4339
You can throw Skrillex or from first to last on, in my workplace, and you'd be hardpressed for someone to recognize, even the vague genre descriptor.
Yeah we're getting old, but we werent ever really in the main stream. it's nice to see people are still listening, but it belongs to us, more than it belongs to the new generation, they can have our perspective, but lets hand in the towel lmfao.
@davidtaylor6452
Top?? Hardly. They were popular for a few years. Bout it. He should have stayed in FFTL and just ridden out the scenester wave and been done with it.
@crystalQuartz3773
He's the best at what it does but he's good at mote than one thing he's exploring other interests too #Everyone 😂❤
@meganmartin1195
Mannn ya gotta adapt to what's popular ya know.... Sonny's a smart guy...
🖤🖤🖤
@txtopherr9525
I used to walk home from school listening to this song...still hits as hard as it did back then.
@laceywantsbass
This song still goes hard af, even 16 years later.
"Pretend to be you
Your friends will like you more than they used to"
@MetalBansheeX
It will always go hard, even if the English language ceases to be known of
@crystalQuartz3773
Me to Eric Michael pylar