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Written by Marc Farr Saturday, 18 October 2014 11:51

With everything from acoustic guitars to backing strings, The Funeral Portrait may just carve themselves a niche in the metal community.

 

Atlanta, Georgia’s newest metal outfit, The Funeral Portrait, has just released its first EP, For the Dearly Departed. Full of blistering guitar work, superb vocals, and a charging rhythm section, this EP blazes forth from the speakers. Vocalist Jeep Jennings, guitarists Juerge Landstrom and A.J. Dekarek, bassist Chris King, and drummer Stephen Danzey deliver a melodic, yet heavy album in the vein of Bullet for My Valentine and Gemini Syndrome.

From slow and brooding to outright rage, TFP runs the musical gamut. With colorful time changes, the band creates a welcome sense of unease and emotion in the listener, which comes to fruition with their hook-filled choruses. Vocally, Jennings is the best of both worlds. With a pleasing, melodious voice, he is capable of subtlety as well as outright brutality. The band is original, tight, and downright explosive. While the production could be cleaner, the well-written songs and fresh performance more than make up for any lack of production prowess.

While the EP is only six songs long, it makes a definite metal statement. Blending pieces of rock, metal, and theater, TFP has let loose an album to be reckoned with. With a precise and tight rhythm section that knows when to rage and when to hold back, this is a dark, melodic, and well-put-together album by a band I believe may become a fan favorite.

Spotlight tracks here include the album opener “Casanova (C’est La Vie),” with its time changes and vocal color, and “The Optimist,” a heavy ballad with an anthem-style bridge. With everything from acoustic guitars to backing strings, The Funeral Portrait may just carve themselves a niche in the metal community.

My advice: get this EP. It may be the best metal release of the fall. B+ | Marc Farr