Truly, FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND'S rise to gaining widespread public attention has been a feat Houdini himself would be proud of. OK, I can see it in some ways: a couple of the band qualify in the metal poster boy stakes, if in a slightly hirsute kinda way, while the sheer energy of their live shows and an admirably old fashioned attitude to cramming in as many gigs as the calendar will allow must have made a difference to a degree.
It's just that when you hear most of their songs, you just think, why this bunch? They're not bad, by any means, just - to me anyway - somehow indistinguishable from the crowd. "Escape Artists Never Die," mind, is a better stab at a regular anthem of sorts, with a definable chorus, keening vocals from Matt Davies and as much Husker Du spicing up the pot as Iron Maiden, despite the band's fashion allegiance to Eddie's troopers.
Of course, another factor in FFAF's inexorable rise is their willingness to compete on the formats front, and "Escape Artists..." is of interest because it also comes as an enhanced CD with the videos for "Escape Artists..." and new track "You Want Romance?". The title tune features the band rocking out while a strangely cutesy, 40s-attired couple do a routine that puts both Michael Clarke and Torvill & Dean to shame (dig that tank top, mate!), while the sinister storyline with "You Want Romance?" goes some way to explaining the sleeve's odd artwork, with the beshrouded pair off for some hanky panky in their car by a lake. Things get considerably nastier and the ending is truly surprising. Only snag is I missed the song in the process.
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There's also a second new track called "10 Scene Points To The Winner" but it's pretty much derivative heavy rock and needn't trouble the genre scorers. Still, while your reviewer harbours his own doubts, the FFAF behemoth rumbles on, and visually-assisted as this one is, it will surely bring another chart placing home with the bacon for the band.
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