There’s no two ways about it: After the Ordeal sounds like ‘Casually Dressed…’ era Funeral for a Friend, and not just in an inspired by/obvious comparison type way either. In ‘A Means to an End’ the band has created four tracks that sound like they could easily have been picked from that particular album. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then the Gravesend quintet is the quintessential silver tongued Lothario.
You can make your own conclusions as to whether such imitation is a result of the laziness of just another unoriginal band or if it’s an example of a young band paying homage to an idol whilst learning the trade. There’s certainly merit to both sides of the argument. What is notable though is how good this record sounds considering After the Ordeal has only been in existence since August of last year. Dust off the abacus and think about that; the band is just eight months old, and then on top of that, this E.P. was recorded after only four months. The production value is far superior to that of most debut demos, with a crisp sound that manages to capture the varied vocals (melodic/screaming), the driving guitars and tight drumming.
It’s not just FFAF the band ‘borrow’ from. Bullet for My Valentine, Finch and Atreyu each has a hand in the inspiration stakes; essentially this is a record with a foundation in the 2003/4 post-hardcore/emo scene. Patrolling the local scene I’ve seen lots of young bands for whom this is the type of band that first got them into guitar music. What I haven’t seen is a band that takes this inspiration and serves it up so thoroughly consistent, not to mention professional, from start to finish.
One of the limitations of this E.P. comes from the track arrangement. ‘They Key’, an epic seven minute opus, is the natural closer and is included as such, but ‘Cut Throats & Corners’ also has that final song feel to it. That’s a problem for a song that’s number two on a release. Still, this is a first offering so it’s more a case of getting songs out there rather than picking and choosing.
It’s going to take a little more imagination and originality from the band to progress further up the pecking order, not least as nobody wants to be stuck back in the early 2000’s forever. But as far as first releases go, this is as solid as a band could hope for. There’s enough here to suggest After the Ordeal deserves to advance which makes it even more imperative that something a little unique is added sooner rather than later.
Alex PD Hambleton