Take This to Your Grave [FBR 25th Anniversary Edition]

Fall Out Boy: Peter Wentz, Andrew Hurley, Patrick Strump, Joseph Trohman.
Recorded at Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin; Gravity, Chicago, Illinois and Rosebud, Skokie, Illinois.
Originally released in 2003 and reissued in '05 (shortly before the band's major label debut), Fall Out Boy's first full-length album, TAKE THIS TO YOUR GRAVE, is a remarkably assured initial outing. One of many acts in the early-2000s emo boom, the Illinois ensemble distinguished itself from the pack with tight musicianship and a keen sense of melody. Rather than halfheartedly attempting to cling to its hardcore roots, like some of its peers, Fall Out Boy is simply out to make catchy, affecting rock here, as witnessed through glorious pop-punk moments such as "Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy" and "Saturday." While frontman Patrick Stump's amiable, sensitive-guy vocals are clearly one of the group's selling points, Fall Out Boy also impresses with its inventive guitar work, which even bears metal influences at times (see the Iron Maiden-like lead riffs on "Dead on Arrival"). Although the band would have to wait until FROM UNDER THE CORK TREE for massive success, this album reveals that Fall Out Boy's sound was fully formed years before "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" hit the charts.