Funeral For a Friend – Your History Is Mine: 2002-2009

Is it Christmas already? Must be soon, the first "Greatest Hits Collection" is tapping on the shoulder demanding some verbage. The "contains never released before bonus tracks" will be stacking up before you know it, perhaps the earliness of this collection defines what a bad year it has been for Record Execs and the cash cows are being wheeled out early.This is a bonza release on Disc 1, there are 16 of the aforementioned greatest hits, whilst Disc 2 houses the usual mix of B-sides and cover versions. The question is do Funeral For A Friend warrant a greatest hits collection? Seven years is a decent career in the cut-throat and crowded music industry and gving them fair dues, FFAF have graced the upper echelons of the singles and album charts... so lets not begrudge them their Christmas Club money!Presented in chronological release order, Your History charts the career of FFAF as they have grown from Iron Maiden loving screamers to Iron Maiden loving melodosists. The songs drawn from and before their first proper release Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation show a deft touch around the shouty/growler and emotionally pleading bi-vocal formula. The shouty growling works especially well for FFAF on 'Juneau', a genuine valleys re-creation of Rival Schools, they cleverly hold the shouting back until the song has told its tale and built its hook around “and I'm nothing more than a line in your book.” 'Red is the New Black', also drawn from CDADIC, is all choppy guitars, thundering drums and brilliantly constructed as the shouting one competes with the tuneful one, for vocal control, imagine; “thhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeee situatiooooooooon isssssn't gettttting annnnnnnnyyyyy beeeeeetttttttterrrrr, grrrr, grrrrr, growlllllllll.”What happened to the shouty one after CDADIC is anyones guess. Maybe they gave him some Lockets and he was cured or perhaps his vocal chords gave out? But he is conspicuous by his absence elshewhere on this collection.'Streetcar', taken from Hours, takes an interesting approach, opening with the bland dial tone and a womans “Hello”, the song is a vocal lament which drives straight into a sickly sweet chorus. 'History' provides the catch line for this hits collection and is a lighters in the air stadium rock crowd pleaser in every respect.And so this collection moves onto FFAF's third long player, Tales Don't Tell Themselves. This is where they finally got to live out their Iron Maiden fantasy with a concept album based loosely around a stranded mariner (again a subject close to the hearts of their heroes). The melodic evolution of the band was complete at this stage. Gone were the thunderous drums and howling vocal retorts, to be replaced with proper verse chorus structures and grown up lyrics. It all leads nicely into 'Kicking and Screaming' taken from Memory and Humanity.As is the derigeur, no hits collection is complete without the obligatory bonus tracks and in this case it is the first releases that FFAF have made with their new bassist. Die hard fans will be delighted to learn that the new material is no great departure from their previous work, 'Built to Last' is a nod to some of their heavier origins and 'Wrench' sees the welcome return of the unclean vocals of Ryan Richards, providing the perfect antidote to the clean cut Davies-Kreye lead.The bonus disc contains enough curisoties to keep the die hards happy. Covers of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' and 'The Boys are Back in Town' are interspersed with the snappily titled 'The Art of American Football'.This is a good value collection that provides a taster of what FFAF have to offer and should ensure they can dine in style this Christmas and for many more to come. If you want to sample their heavier beginnings head straight for CDADIC, however, if growling men worry you, this provides a fine introduction to the melodic EMO that has become FFAF's signature sound.Funeral for a Friend on Myspace