Thank God, here’s a band that finally take on most of the US bands at their own game and not only rip them apart, but they do so in such fine fashion it’s unbelieveable. Fronting the UK melodic hardcore/screamo/whatever-we’re-calling-it-today scene, Funeral For A Friend are truly a band to get excited about. Bonecrunching riffs, screams that pierce and jar and melodies as sweet as any all mean one thing – a band with the world at its feet. The hype that FFAF has got so far, just one EP into their career, has been enormous yet they seem to be taking everything in their stride. ‘Four Ways To Scream Your Name’ not only lives up to that hype, it goes on to dump all over it unceremoniously. The breakdowns are cracking, the singalong bits muscle their way against Ryan’s roar…it’s breathless stuff that begs your attention.
Imagine Poison The Well, Finch and Jimmy Eat World in a Royal Rumble style fight to the death, and the mangled, charred remains would make up this Welsh fivesome. Already comparisons have been drawn to those stylistic fashion fools in Lostprophets, but let’s get one thing straight – there’s no wannabe posteuring, no sideways caps and no DJs here. ‘This Year’s Most Open Heartbreak’ is one hard rocking amigo and is currently showcasing on the music TV channels. From the opening wall of noise and Matt Davies’ melodic vocals bouncing off Ryan Richards’, to the gorgeous chorus, this track oozes class. The only thing remotely cheesy about ‘She Drove Me To Daytime Television’ is the daft title as the rest of it hits hard. ‘Kiss and Makeup (All Bets Are Off)’ could easily have come from the Finch ‘What It Is To Burn’ sessions – the guitars drive, the vocals twist and turn and sound awesomely angelic and the drums crash and clatter. FFAF can even do the drawn out with the 5-minute plus ‘Escape Artists Never Die’, a track which thuds and thumps without losing any of its effectiveness. All this and I’ve not even mentioned that ’emo’ word yet…
If FFAF were American the US underground would be salivating and openly masturbating about how good this band is. Better than almost everyone in the genre already, their first album is sure to be even more anticpated than this and will surely catapult them into the limelight on both sides of the Pond. While we wait for the Yanks to play catch up, enjoy these Friends before they’re playing sell out shows all over the world.
www.funeralforafriend.com
Paul