Funeral For A Friend have come a long way in the last year. They’re now playing sold out gigs in decent sized venues, have a ever-increasing fanbase and are beginning to make mainstream ripples in the music biz. Not bad for a bunch of Welsh boys. Still, it all started here with ‘Between Order and Model’, a four-track EP released on Mighty Atom that seemingly sells more copies each week as new fans add it to their collection.
For those living under a rock, FFAF are a five piece that blast out a passionate post-hardcore/screamo (to put it bluntly) sound that has been typified in recent months with the plenthora of US copycat bands following on from the commercial success of the likes of Finch. FFAF play a more melodic version of From Autumn To Ashes, indeed there are several similarities between the two especially as both have singing drummers. But FFAF have that killer extra being both Jekyll and Hyde in their dynamics, switching from Ryan Richards’ screams to frontman Matt Davies’ sweet roars in seconds. This EP, released last year, sets the tone for what we can expect from the band in the future. It’s rawer than their recent new EP but the songs are jam-packed with off the wall guitars and crunching drums.
’10:45 Amsterdam Conversations’ has that perfect opening riff which would get any mosh pit going, but even though there is so much screaming going on there’s a deep underlying melody provided by the two guitars that keeps everything in check. The production is less thick than their newer material but it’s that which holds most of the appeal. The fans favourite ‘Juno‘ is currently doing the rounds again under the name ‘Juneaux’, but rightly many prefer the EP version. It’s aggressive but sugary sweet, the vocal melody fantastic and easily FFAF’s best song. It’s interesting to note that the newer version loses a lot of the screaming and harshness, replacing it with a crunchier guitar sound. The highlight for me is the quiet “yet I’m nothing more, than a line in your book” line which slows everything right down. ‘Red Is The New Black’ is fantastic too, slower in pace but still as effective while the punishing ‘The Art Of American Football’ owes as much to From Autumn To Ashes as any other track they’ve done. It’s brutally melodic and with a massive hook-filled chorus it’s everything that is good about the band rolled into one.
This EP is a great starting point for those looking to get into Funeral For A Friend before the album and world domination take hold. But I can’t help but feel that FFAF are this years Lostprophets – a band with undoubted talent yet the media circus that followed them took the emphasis away from the music. I’d hate to think that such a talented band will lose sight of something they are clearly capable of doing well. I, like many, await the full-lengther with interest.
www.funeralforafriend.com
Paul