artist: funeral for a friend
album: seven ways to scream your name
label: ferret records
released: 10/21/03

by: eduardo moutinho

One of the most effective means of conducting any kind of business is to go by the motto “the ‘flavor of the month’ sells.” The Welsh band Funeral for a Friend seems to have caught onto this slogan in their recent Ferret release, Seven Ways to Scream Your Name.

Honestly, if I would have listened to this record about six months ago, I would have given up on it immediately. Thankfully, I’ve gotten to a state that has allowed me to come back to this kind of straightforward emocore derivation. Those who are craving new and original music are in for a disappointment, and those who want to listen to challenging music should stop reading this review right now. Funeral for a Friend knows how to manipulate what is currently popular into something that slides nicely into the “semi-mainstream” musical segment of our scene. But wait just a second, this isn’t entirely bad. Sometimes it’s good to listen to something that fits a successful formula; that is, if it’s done correctly. Honestly, these guys are good at what they do.

The music exhibited on Seven Ways to Scream Your Name is a mixture of aggressive emocore mixed with some pop rock and punk. The singer is energetic, and he uses his vocals to scream and sing effectively. In addition, the musicality is quite solid with the guitars leading the way. There are a variety of catchy mini-solos thrown throughout the songs along with a series of rhythmic verses. It’s easy to get into the music on frequent occasions. Percussion is average but also solid, and the drummer adds in some rather mediocre background screaming vocals throughout the tracks. I was reminded of Atreyu’s singer and his awful screaming, so in this regard, the music was affected negatively.

When closely listening to this record, I realized that its simplicity is one of the strong points. I can get into the music without having to think, and sometimes, that is all I really need and want. The production value is crisp, leading to a tightly fabricated and polished product. I can stick this in my car stereo and just go.

Interestingly enough, I was tempted to listen to this record after downloading a promotional mp3 of the song “This Year’s Most Open Heartbreak” off the Ferret website. The song is one of the most extremely catchy pieces that I have recently encountered. In the end, it turns out to be the best song on the record. Songs like “Kiss and Make Up (All Bets Are Off)” and “Escape Artists Will Never Die” are also worth listening to. The rest of the album is decent, but the tracks all too frequently become victims of musical clichés seen in the genre, as stated above.

Nevertheless, Seven Ways to Scream Your Name is still a nice compilation, and it’s refreshing to see something new coming from Wales. I’ve only been recently privy to Princess Diana and Ryan Giggs.

favorite song: “this year's most open heartbreak" 

rating: 80%/100%

listen to funeral for a friend