Album Review: Funeral For A Friend - Chapter And Verse

With 11 tracks clocking in at just over 35 minutes it was pretty evident this record was going to be unrelenting.

If you listen to death metal you probably wouldn’t mind walking out of the room to fill up a bottle of water if you’re thirsty during album opener, Stand By Me For The Millionth Time. Pencil Pusher boasts a catchy intro riff, with some satisfying distortion. The vocal pattern is totally reminiscent of Dillinger Escape Plan’s Milk Lizard, although the chorus plays to some overdone “punk rock” conventions; good thing it slips into a chilled breakdown. You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourself kicks off with a droning intro comprising tasty bass licks, building energy with the addition of a powerfully resounding sample. Unfortunately the song falls flat between then and about halfway, where there’s a tasty chunk right before the mildly emotive chorus. A juicy breakdown featuring a half-toned groove really enriches the latter half. 1% turns it down a notch with a clean channel and a slow build.

From the content Funeral For A Friend sound like a socially-conscious band on their seventh album, but there are some emotional elements, the opposite of empowering,  that can be done without. When on occasion the punk filters through it sounds great, along with the few heavier elements, though while there are some melodies that are well written and empathetic to the listener, some aspects are just too lame to be engaging for everyone.