Album Review: Funeral For A Friend - 'Chapter And Verse'

Funeral For A Friend are hard to fault. Though their inception dates all the way back to 2001, the post-hardcore stalwarts have proven with their new record 'Chapter And Verse' that burning out is not on their agenda.

'Chapter And Verse' makes it clear that Funeral For A Friend have, despite the length of their career, a tight grip on their integrity. Though the album isn’t experimental, it is Funeral For A Friend at their finest, and it doesn't fall into the dire trap of creating ‘polished’ songs that lose their heart. ‘Stand By Me For The Millionth Time’ proves that the refinement of the band’s sound can be successfully achieved without overproduction nor monotony.

Headbangers ‘Donny’ and ‘After All These Years…Like A Lightbulb Going Off In My Head' both delve into the hardcore sound Funeral For A Friend are inextricably tied to, and we guarantee that the latter’s rapid beat would make touring drummer Casey McHale sweat up a frenzy.

Alongside the function of giving you something to mosh to, this album makes itself relevant – and thought-provoking – by drawing on social issues. ‘You’ve Got A Bad Case Of The Religions’ is, as its name implies, an angsty opposition to religion, and economic inequality is dealt with unsurprisingly on ‘Inequality’, as well as ‘1%’. ‘You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourself’ comments on gender politics and includes an excerpt from a Hillary Clinton speech: ‘let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women's rights are human rights, once and for all'. Interestingly, its chorus brings up the point that a birth with male anatomy is not conducive to misogynistic attitudes.

Perhaps it’s the nostalgic hark-back to the emo revolution of the 2000's, but closer ‘The Jade Tree Years Were My Best’ is the record’s standout: it’s deflated, evocative and depressing. Not only do the lyrics, ‘sometimes when the lights go out/I pretend that I’m someone else’, chill your spine, the last few notes that bring part one of the track to its close echo out with melancholy. Another nostalgic component of the song is the fact that following the silence that inhabits its middle, it starts up again. Here’s a tip: when you think the song is over, don’t click ‘skip’ just yet.

It’s been a while since hidden tracks were popular, but it’s always nice to pretend that it’s still 2006.

This is a nostalgic journey, but also an enjoyable one. ‘Chapter And Verse’ certainly isn’t ground breaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Funeral For A Friend have stayed true to themselves, and there are legions of fans who love their sound and surely won’t mind more of it.

1. Stand By Me For The Millionth Time

2. You've Got A Bad Case Of The Religions

3. Pencil Pusher

4. You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourself

5. 1%

6. After All These Years… Like A Lightbulb Going Off In My Head

7. Modern Excuse Of A Man

8. Inequality

9. Brother

10. Donny

11. The Jade Tree Years Were My Best