Funeral For A Friend - See You All In Hell (EP) Review
Posted by Guest Writer on Thu, 10 Nov 2011.
Matthew Davies-Kreye
Kris Coombs-Roberts
Ryan Richards
Gavin Burrough
Richard Boucher.
The intro to opening track "High Castles" pulls you into listening to it. Then the vocals kick in, full of emotion and passion. As the songs go on, the vocals get smoother. The drums kick and beat the hell out of the atmosphere. The harmonies are brilliant and have a huge effect on how the song is put together. I think it is talking about how you can loose someone but life still goes on or how your partner can turn on you, but life goes on. The ending is almost like he is targeting you; telling you what you have to do. Fight these things, fist by fist.
With the track "Will To Die" (Strife cover) As a cover you can expect it to be either the same as the original or not as good. But I actually think they have done a really good job of this one. The voices in the background are amazing; I really wanted to know what they were saying. The quick drum beat makes the head bang and the feet jump. The main vocals sound like they are shouting at the word.
Second track "Medicated", and the first thing I thought was, "This song is very much like the newer My Chemical Romance releases". But once I heard the other remixes by Love Gadgets Hate Gizmos, I realised what it was and appreciated it a lot more. The actual base of the song is powerful and it works. But this isn't what they usually produce. If you're a hardcore fan, I don't think you will get along with this track as much.
The intro to "Sixteen (live at XFM)" is striking. The vocals are easy listening, even at the shouting parts. The riffs are repeated but brilliant to listen to, and hit you with some impact as they make their transitions between different segments of the song. Whether you believe that the song is about either breaking up with someone or being alone, as it progresses you see that the message is that society doesn't listen, even though there is something huge going on, we just live our lives. Maybe also, that not everyone has someone to catch us if we fall, and that some of us are all alone.
As Ryan's vocal burst in on Broken Foundation (live at XFM) it's as if it's aimed squarely and personally at you, and as the track progresses, Mathew's vocals are still shouting but asking you question after question. Gavin's guitar riffs are outstanding. "Man Alive (live at XFM, again)" made me think of writing to family members. The guitar riffs are astounding; as they get heavier it brings out a real element of sadness
The opening track of their Nottingham gig a few weeks back, "Front Row Seats To The End Of The World (live at XFM)" just pulls you in like an irresistible force. The heavy riffs make you bang your head that's for sure! "Old Hymns" (acoustic) has something of a calming effect, tinged with the sad tone of Matthews vocals. The surprise finale is "Welcome Home Armageddon" (acoustic), a fairly calm track to end out on.
All in all, it's a great EP from FFaF showing a real depth in their songwriting, real emotion put into the writing of their material. As casual listening goes it might be all to easy to just skip past this one, but it would be an absolute shame to do so.
Review by James