There's not much in the way of anything silent on this debut album by this emotive and loud outfit from Atlanta. With deep roots in the world of punk rock and hardcore, The Funeral Portrait also incorporates the sounds of metal and pop into this concept album about a Godless afterlife.

The album leads with the title track, where classic rock guitars (think Led Zeppelin) are met with distant throaty vocals before an explosion of thundering melody. While the music is dynamic and tuneful (yet intimidating), the vocals are shrieking and ominous. “The Water Obeyed The Gravity” follows and is vocally less abrasive; cleaner singing dominates, and the music is more of the chugging mosh sort of hardcore. However, it's not long before the throaty screaming returns with the ultra-quick “Fate Connector,” where rapid fire drumming and changing textures make this one of the disc’s best tunes.

Towards the middle of the album, we get thicker offerings like “Shaking Hands,” the tense, almost cinematic and instrumental “The Fear Of God,” and maybe the most radio-friendly track, the melodic “Like Father Like Son.” The fury takes a brief pause with the more introspective moments of “Cerulean” and “Double Helix,” with the latter showing great vocal range when it hits some higher notes.

The back end of the album offers the emotive “Save Yourself,” which isn't a Sense Field cover but is sung with an equal amount of passion, as well as the most metallic tune here, “Appeal To Reason.” Meanwhile, the multi-faceted “To Whom It May Concern” manages to cover rock, pop, punk, hardcore, and metal in three and a half minutes. The listen exits on the tense and turbulent “Guillotine,” which seems to represent everything The Funeral Portrait stands for: power, technical proficiency, and thoughtfulness.

For fans of modern post-hardcore or screamo, this well-executed and polished album is a must.

Rating: B

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