Musical Style and Influence
Funeral for a Friend have shown a progression and maturity with each record. Although their music has developed around post-hardcore, emo, melodic hardcore, heavy metal and screamo. Guitarist Gavin Burrough describes the bands style as a eclectic based on each members individual influences and summarising Funeral for a Friend's style by pointing out "there’s a definite melancholy feel to our tracks We can punish you with our metallic, angular riffs, and also seduce you with our serene melodies." Deftones, Iron Maiden and The Get Up Kids have been said to be their primary influences. The band has commented on the uses of the tag emo, drummer Ryan Richards stated: "I have no more problem with being called emo than with being called metal or hardcore, I just don't think any one term or label does justice to the music we do."
Their earlier EPs and their debut album Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation were considered their heaviest work for some time, as their subsequent material used less aggressive vocals and instrumentation; however, recent years have seen a resurgence of such elements and a higher number of 'heavy' songs. "tour de force of audience-friendly post-hardcore". Their second album Hours is seen as being a part of the new wave of emo that occurred during the mid 2000s. Songs on Hours were seen as the band "transcending their genre limitations", including History which combines "melodic interplay and sincere lyricism".
While their next two albums followed a different musical direction. With Tales Don't Tell Themselves they use a more pop rock and post-hardcore style with classic rock, alternative country and 1980s heartland rock influences. The album uses choral elements for tracks like "Into Oblivion (Reunion)". Their 4th album, Memory and Humanity returned to a more post-hardcore sound however adopted a more alternative rock influence, incorporating an emo influence with a anthemic rock uplift.
All subsequent material following the band's extended play, The Young & Defenceless saw them returning to a more aggressive elements of their post-hardcore style. Burrough saw it as a capturing of energy that their previous two albums lacked and so wanted to write music more "direct and in your face." In the band's opinion they had always wanted to return to their hardcore punk roots. However, it has also been noted that Welcome Home Armageddon incorporates more pop rock inspired hooks and melodies, the album's more melodic approach is credited in songs like Old Hymns. The band and critics alike have said that because they released the two on indie labels they had more creative freedom from when they were signed to Atlantic Records. When Welcome Home Armageddon came out, critics were quick to compare and contrast it to Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation.
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