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Funeral For A Friend - Welcome Home Armageddon

FFAF sound more like themselves than they have done in years.

Rating: 9

Following on from their Pledge Music-released ‘The Young And Defenceless’ EP back in September, ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’ is proof – if there was ever a need for it – that Funeral For A Friend are still very, very relevant. As the first record featuring new bassist Richard Boucher and a re-shuffled line-up, Funeral sound like a new band. Well, a new-old band. Put it this way: for those of you that have waited eight years to hear ‘Casually Dressed & Deep In Conversation: Part Two’, well, here it is. Individually some of these songs can be credited as their heaviest (‘Front Row Seats To The End Of The World’), their poppiest (‘Old Hymns’) and their most technical to date (‘Damned If You Do, Dead If You Don’t’); but as an album it’s their most rewarding. Matthew Davies-Kreye is perhaps the most lyrically direct he’s been for a while but the songs flow seamlessly; serenading and punching in alternation. They even let drummer Ryan Richards have a good scream or two throughout – even taking lead vocals on ‘Front Row Seats…’, which is what we all wanted really, wasn’t it? ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’ is an extremely satisfying album, for fans old and new. Ferocious and beautiful – Funeral For A Friend sound more like themselves than they have done in years.

Andy Ritchie