Famous Last Words Deliver Best Material Since ‘Council of the Dead’
Two years removed from their last EP Arizona and five years removed from their last full-length The Incubus, Famous Last Words have returned with their new 3-track EP The Negative. An impressive triumph of aggression and ferocious instrumentation, The Negative is the best instalment in the Famous Last Words discography since 2014’s Council of the Dead - strong words that are completely warranted given the strength of the material.
Opening track and lead single “In The Blink Of An Eye” spares no time setting the in-your-face tone of this EP, with the frantic vocal delivery over a classic, chuggy metalcore riff that will immediately get the head bobbing from side to side. “I have seen / The colors turn to grey / A fate you can’t escape / The end set on display…” introduces the infectious chorus repeated throughout the track, reminding us of the unique clean vocal delivery Famous Last Words have always been associated with. A crushing breakdown and pummelling blast beats bring this powerful track to a close; at least until you hit replay immediately after.
The Negative is a concept EP of sorts, detailing the “moments of truth” captured by a photographer on his journey through life. The band describes in more detail, “The Negative is about a photographer who feels a strong sense of purpose. He feels his purpose is to capture what he calls “moments of truth” which are completely unfiltered, unedited, natural moments. When developing his photos one day he sees a vision of a parallel universe colliding with our universe in one of his photo negatives. He doesn’t know when or what is going to happen exactly once it collides, but he knows it’s going to be soon and he begins to wildly speculate on all of the horrifying possibilities. He carries this knowledge on his own out of fear that the world would think he has gone mad. Has he gone mad? Is the universe doomed, or is this all in his head?”
At just 11 minutes and 24 seconds in length, The Negative comes to an end just as fast as it began. “The Negative” keeps the energy at an all time high, embracing the bands theatrical metalcore roots until an abrupt stop into the final track “Last Words”. While just a spoken track, “Last Words” provides the sort of world-building one may expect from concept EP’s as The Devil Wears Prada’s Zombie EP or Knocked Loose’s A Tear in the Fabric of Life. Ultimately, “Last Words” acts as the fuel for the replayability of the EP - its tension and suspenseful nature leads straight back into “In The Blink Of An Eye”.
Photo credit to Jon Reino