Genre: Crossover Thrash| Label: Inimical Records
Location: Shoreline, WA | Listen: Bandcamp
Funerot were a metal/punk band from Seattle that were active for most of the 2000’s, releasing two albums (along with a handful of shorter releases). Their first album was a relentless onslaught of crossover thrash that wasn’t afraid to be punky, but also had a little bit of death metal in it. The follow up, “And Then You Fucking Die, Man,” is a strange record in comparison, but there is certainly no lack of skillful songwriting here. The band has really stripped their sound down to it’s roots, having quite a rock sound, but still with a very punk feel. It’s raw, it’s catchy, and it never fails to be a fun listen.
“Living or Dying” isn’t the best lead track to an album, as it pounds ahead with a mid-paced punk vibe. Things get more interesting as the album goes on, with a fine display of classic heavy metal lead work in the next couple songs. “Box (You Live In A)” is especially catchy with its lead licks, and call and response between the guitars and vocals for the chorus. There’s plenty of speed that comes out in these songs, with an abundance of fast picking, blazing leads, and thrashing drum beats. There’s a balanced amount of mid-paced rockers and fast punk jams scattered throughout the album. “The Last Blast” might be the slowest track on the whole record, where as a couple tracks later we’re treated to “A.D.” which is quite the raging punk tune. “Washed Out” has a stellar NWOBHM dual lead guitar part as its main riff, further showing some fine guitar wizardry.
As mentioned, the production on this record is considerably raw. It doesn’t sound polished at all, but it also doesn’t feel like an amateur recording. It sounds somewhere between some 70’s proto-punk and 80’s crossover thrash record. The guitars aren’t drenched in distortion at all, given room for the bass to really drive home, much like Nuclear Assault’s seminal “Game Over” LP. The two guitarists do a lot of stuff with chords, especially on the higher set of strings, and there’s a nice amount of clairty despite the lack of polish with this approach. The drums don’t stand out too much, with the kick having much more of a subtle thump than an upfront click. The whole kit sounds fairly nice, never really over powering things, overall being quite an honest representation.
Lyrically, I’ve always enjoyed Funerot’s approach, as they tend to lean into futuristic sci-fi and horror. These themes don’t seem as prominent on “And Then You Fucking Die, Man,” which is kind of a let down, but it doesn’t really hurt it. The lyrics are still centered around death, just less abstract in terms of incorporating fictional aspects. They’re fairly easy to decipher, as the vocals are yelled/shouted/sung with clarity. I find the lyrics and the patterns form a good amount of hooks, further adding to those already created by catchy guitar licks.
“And Then You Fucking Die, Man” ended up being Funerot’s swansong, although I’m not sure if that was their intention or not. They really stripped things back and let their 70’s rock roots show, but still with a pretty punky approach. I think a record like this can appeal to a pretty wide variety of music fans, although it’s kind of weird I’ve never really heard people talk about this record, let alone this band. It’s not as extreme or heavy as “Invasion from the Death Dimension,” and although they’ve never been a polished band, it definitely feels like a more raw recording. I’m surprised the two guitarists never did much after this, as the rhythm section moved onto some more heavy metal oriented bands, but the guitarists were the ones that were playing some deadly dual guitar harmonies. This may not be a total modern classic, but it’s an enjoyable listen with twists and turns throughout.
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