Review

The U.K. invasion is about to begin, South Whales’ Funeral for a Friend have released their U.S. major label debut Hours with the perfect mix of following their past while creating a brand new future.

Hours plays with the melodies of 7 Ways To Scream Your Name (the band’s breakthrough EP) and their new style – abandonment of emotional screaming in exchange for overwhelmingly successful harmonies. On a considerable amount of the record, Funeral for a Friend are able to showcase themselves as rescuers of harmonies in the scene with tracks such as “Streetcar” and “All the Rage.” However, several tracks could damage their heroism. “Alvarez” is a prime example of one that holds back FFAF just enough to stop a takeoff.

A band that was once showcased on MTV2’s Headbanger’s Ball, Funeral for a Friend’s Hours fits them more elegantly along side the likes of bands such as Yesterday’s Rising, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Greeley Estates, and even A Static Lullaby, rather than headbangers Atreyu, Killswitch Engage, and The Hurt Process with which they used to be compared to. The track “End Of Nothing” is about all the metal Funeral for a Friend mustered up for Hours. Hours shows very little resemblances to any of the aforementioned acts, and rather pulls away from the style of 7 Ways To Scream Your Name and their Ferret Records full-length, Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation. As a result, Funeral for a Friend display themselves as a band that have matured into a major label setting that finally allowed them to find their desired sound.

On Hours, Funeral for a Friend definitely seem more at home than on any of their previous releases. Hours takes everything down a notch and focuses more on melody and style rather than heaviness. The album is more a solid release for the band rather than the music scene. Funeral for a Friend fit in perfectly with the contemporary music scene in America, however their album isn’t anything gigantic enough to place them on top.

Review by Ashley Munno

3 out of 5