Band: Funeral For A Friend
Album: Memory and Humanity
Genre: Rock
Label: Victory [US]

Tracks:
1. Rules and Games
2. To Die Like Mouchette
3. Kicking and Screaming
4. Constant Illuminations
5. Maybe I Am?
6. You Can’t See The Forest For The Wolves
7. Building
8. Beneath The Burning Tree
9. Someday The Fire…
10. Waterfront Dance Club
11. Charlie Don’t Surf
12. Ghosts
13. Constant Resurrections 

Let me preface this review by saying this: I have never been a huge fan of Funeral For A Friend. They have never been one of those bands that I really got into. That’s not to say that I didn’t like them, I just didn’t listen to them a lot. So when I stated this review, I began to ask myself why it was that it had been this way. Why had I ignored this band for so long? 

Memory And Humanity opens strong, with heavy guitar tones and powerful vocals. The first track, “Rules And Games,” much like the rest of the album, has a good balance between being heavy while still managing to be melodic and poppy. They also do a good job of changing things up and keeping the record from sounding monotonous. Each song has its own unique feel and vibe. 

The album is loaded with catchy hooks and choruses that seamlessly transition into really heavy progressions. “Constant Illuminations,” is probably my favorite example of this. The song starts off with this very ‘rock and roll,’ up-beat bass line that the whole band joins in on, turning it into this really driving verse. They follow it up by going right into this incredibly catchy and powerful chorus which flows right into this awesomely heavy variation of the opening riff. It’s one good thing after another; the song is solid from start to finish (not much unlike the rest of the album).

Funeral For A Friend show a depth and maturity in their lyrics, taking on some serious topics in Memory And Humanity. They talk about overcoming depression and thoughts of suicide; looking for God; and self-examination, just to skim the surface. It is always more enjoyable when a band can create a depth in their lyrics to match that found in their music. 

Listening to Memory And Humanity has made me reconsider my position on the band. Funeral For A Friend definitely won me over with this one. It’s got all the makings of a good album. Solid music, well thought-out structure, meaningful lyrics; all bases seem to be covered here. This is definitely an album that is worth your while. Whether you are already a fan of the band or whether you are like I was: Memory And Humanity is going to be an album you’re going to want to rock out to. 

*Written By: Kyle Viana*
Grade: 9/10

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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