Album Review: Funeral For A Friend - 'Tales Don’t Tell Themselves'

I never really got Funeral For

A Friend – they always seemed a little bit cliché to me. It wasn’t

that they were a bad band, there just wasn’t anything really great

about them. 

After an EP and 2 full length

albums it seems FFAF have set aside the post hardcore rule book and

done what they should have a long time ago… written a rock record! 

Tales Don’t Tell Themselves

might seem a little too straight forward for some of FFAF’s long term

fans, but I feel it’s the band’s most cohesive work to date. Gone

are the pseudo Maiden riffs and token screamed vocals. In their place

is chorus hooks a plenty and uplifting arena rock riffs that wouldn’t

be out of place on a Bon Jovi record (seriously). 

I can hear a lot of mid 90’s

rock influences throughout this record – bands like the Smashing Pumpkins

and the Stone Temple Pilots definitely come to mind – and why not!?

I’d rather hear groups drawing influence from Siamese Dream than the

latest Victory Records “emo sensation”.  

I know it’s been said before,

but a band’s 3^rd record is their “dare to be great”

situation. With “Tales Don’t Tell Themselves” FFAF have proven

they have something to offer. I can honestly say there isn’t a bad

song on the album and that gives FFAF a consistency they were lacking

previously.

My only gripe with “Tales Don’t

Tell Themselves” is that too many of the songs seem to follow the

same the path, and while each track is able to successfully stand on

its own, the songs can blend into one another. 

I’ve come across this year!