Funeral For A Friend – Conduit

Welsh post-hardcore outfit Funeral for a Friend aren't exactly known for their consistency; in tandem with multiple lineup changes, the band's track record has varied wildly since arriving to lofty acclaim from the metal community with their 2003 debut and they've generally struggled to levitate beyond the arena of mushy alt-rock until 2011's promising Welcome Home Armageddon.

 

The tight balance of metalcore riffs and emotionally charged hooks on this follow-up (particularly on album highlight The Distance and lead single Best Friends and Hospital Beds) harks back to their early days, but it's far from the calculated nostalgia trip one might expect. Conduit barely pauses to second-guess itself – there's a thrilling sense of momentum throughout. As a result, it's easily their most aggressively straightforward LP thus far, perhaps best thought of as their punk record: short, lean and entirely engaging.