Funeral For A Friend may sound like the name of a dreadful death metal band, and in the sheer guitar mayhem stakes, the guess wouldn’t be far off. But these twentysomethings aren’t about killing rivals and eating their innards. F4AF are all about pummeling riffage and pounding drums. Yet this is still tuneful guitar music, albeit loud and in-your-face. While they were raised and their chops honed in the south of Wales, Funeral have much in common with bands from New Jersey and Southern California, for their musical brethren are the edgy “emo” acts of labels like Vagrant and Victory, bands like No Motiv, Saves the Day, and Taking Back Sunday. The fact of their worth was proved out in 2004, when Funeral For A Friend won Kerrang magazine’s Best Newcomer award on the back of their debut, Casually Dressed & Deep In Conversation, and they now return with their sophomore release, Hours; F4AF want to prove they are no One-Album Wonders and on the strength of pop-metal numbers like “Streetcar”, “All The Rage”, and “Recovery”, they look to be well on their way. Recorded in Seattle, this second offering finds the Welsh quintet with tighter hooks, louder and faster riffs, but with frontman Matt Davies still finding time to sing in tune, adding layer upon layer of class and further poppiness to the songs. The kids across the pond have a homegrown Warped Tour-style band to call their own. And considering Funeral play to crowds upwards of 8000 in London, perhaps we should be paying closer attention.

Funeral For A Friend
Atlantic

1. Winter Hours
2. Casually Dressed & Deep In Conversation
3. Ray Davies Shot In Leg In New Orleans Snatch & Grab
4. Live – Nada Surf, Sondre Lerche, The People: Four Hours Of Fun
5. The Darkness, Electric Six Head Kerrang’s 2003 Award Nominations