Funeral For A Friend
Welsh rock legends FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND are set to release their excellent fifth studio album, WELCOME HOME ARMAGEDDON, on 14 March 2011. Produced by previous collaborator Romesh Dodangoda, the band homed in on the essence of their new material in a way which would present the new tracks as being as true to their live show as possible. The result of this approach will doubtless send shivers down the spines of many a FFAF fan.
Embracing the heady mix of raw heaviness and pure melody, which helped establish the band’s name when they first started out, Matt describes the album as, “a fist in the face followed by a kiss on the cheek”. The heavier vocals take an integral role on several of the tracks.
Drummer / vocalist Ryan, commenting on his contribution to FRONT ROW SEATS TO THE END OF THE WORLD, said, “It was a lot of fun for me to do a lead vocal again on a track, as it’s something I’ve not really done since way back on the first record”. The track was released as a free download in late January. The visceral explosion of riffs, screams and melody is one that fans of the band already know and love, but the constant shifts of gear in rhythm and twists and turns in the track will keep everyone guessing as to what’s around each corner.
From the fast, punky feel of OLD HYMNS, through the seven-string guitar-led riff spectacular AFTERTASTE, and the even more riff-heavy SPINNING OVER THE ISLAND, FFAF have crafted an album of potential classics with each track as exciting and unpredictable as the one before. Anthemic songs with killer melodies such as album closer WELCOME HOME ARMAGEDDON , and SIXTEEN, which actually started life as an acoustic song, are further demonstrations of the band’s song writing prowess, and their ability to incorporate a multitude of different musical elements.
The apocalyptic sway in the title track is explained by Matt, “A friend of mine was mentioning how he felt that the best thing for the planet was for the human race to just drop dead and, at times, I can see and understand his way of thinking, but a big part of me has this (probably) misguided faith in humanity to steer the ship in the right direction for a change. So WELCOME HOME ARMAGEDDON is the idea of patiently waiting for the end to arrive at your doorstep and give you a nice big hug”.
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND will hit the road in March and April with a lengthy string of dates at intimate venues, some of which are in towns they’ve never actually played before. The extensive run of dates has purposefully been plotted to traverse through those venues where both long-time fans and those who have discovered the band in recent years will appreciate for their up-close-and-personal, and the tour has now been expanded due to exceptionally high demand. Support on the dates will come from fast-rising British band RISE TO REMAIN.
The band play The Apex in Bury St Edmunds on Tuesday 22nd March 2011.
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