FROM A SECOND STORY WINDOW - Not One Word Has Been Omitted

By David Caporicci-Urovitch - No Sleep Til Bedtime - 03/01/2004

Metal this year has spawned so many metal/tech/math/hard-core bands that the genre is overrun. It seems that everyone and their grandmother has their own take on this abstract sub-genre, mixing more of one element and less of another until it seems original. While some albums released produce what pioneers of the style have already accomplished, there are still some interesting variations; enter From a Second Story Window with their debut EP, Not One Word Has Been Omitted. Clocking in above 30 minutes, (longer than some full lengths I’ve heard this year) these five tracks present something that caught me totally off guard. They maintain a guiding melody while still playing heavy abrasive riffs mixed with dissonant chords and movements in odd time signatures. The vocals are a mix of a death metal yell and a superb lower dry shout. Technically, FASSW are superb musicians, but do not dwell on this, and let even stronger song writing guide the music between movements. Something also very noticeable is the eerie effect created by the band when they quickly mix upbeat major chords with sombre minor chords, frequently in the same bar. Some tracks like “I Tried Voodoo Once” use light breaks from the brutality to give the listener breathing room, which is effective, although sometimes these ideas do not seem well explored enough, jumping around too quickly without letting the movement truly develop. While FASSW will not astound the average listener of the genre, this EP shows much promise for future development, making them a band to keep watching.