UMUR "Should Have Stayed in the Grave" is a compilation album by Finnish, Oulu based thrash metal act Faff-Bey. The compilation was released through Poko International in 2005. Faff-Bey was an important part of the late 80s Finnish underground scene, and released four studio albums in the years 1988-1994 before disbanding in 1997.

"Should Have Stayed in the Grave" is a combined best-of and rarities compilation, featuring select tracks from the band´s four full-length studio albums, and a couple of non-album tracks, which originally appeared on singles and EPs. So the compilation doesn´t feature any unreleased recordings or remixes. The non-album tracks are "Psycho" from the 1988 "S/M Party" EP, The Leather Nun cover "No Rule", which is the B-side of the 1989 "Emptyhead / No Rule" single, and the Motörhead cover "Ace of Spades". "Should Have Stayed in the Grave" unfortunately omits the "Emptyhead" A-side to the "Emptyhead / No Rule" single, and also "Armageddon Eve" from the 1992 "Ace of Spades" single. It´s a bit unfortunate as this was the obvious chance to include all rarity tracks on one release.

The track selections from the four albums can always be discussed, but the tracklist on "Should Have Stayed in the Grave" is arguably a good representation of Faff-Bey´s discography and the development of their music in the 1988-1994 period. Faff-Bey started out playing a raw and savage type of thrash metal, but with each release got a little less ferocious and ultimately also less interesting. I´d recommend purchasing "Back from the Grave" (1988) and "Doesn't Feel like Laughing..." (1990), and leave this compilation and the other releases by Faff-Bey alone. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "New Religion" is the 4th full-length studio album by Finnish, Oulu based thrash metal act Faff-Bey. The album was released through Poko International in 1994. It´s the successor to "Birthday" from 1991, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the 1992 "Ace of Spades" single.

"New Religion" is arguably Faff-Bey´s most diverse and dynamic release. Stylistically it features both aggressive and raw thrash metal elements of the early releases, but also a lot of more melodic and mid-paced heavy metal elements and several nods towards hard rock/rock´n´roll (there´s even a touch of funk here and there). Faff-Bey never had many leads or harmonies in their music, but on "New Religion" there are quite a few of those. Lead vocalist/guitarist Maike Valanne has changed his vocal style again, and gone are his otherwise brilliant snarl which has been replaced by a deeper and still raw singing style. But it´s ultimately a much less intense singing style and more influenced by hard rock than by metal.

"New Religion" features a decent sounding production, which is suited to the band´s new more heavy metal/hard rock oriented music style. While the album certainly has its moments and qualities, it´s overall not the most interesting release, and the tracks aren´t particularly memorable. Paired with Valanne´s new weaker vocal style, it doesn´t make for the best impression. The increased use of lead guitars is a positive element though, which some of the previous releases could have prospered from. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Ace of Spades" is a single release by Finnish, Oulu based thrash metal act Faff-Bey. The single was released through Poko International in 1992. The single bridges the gap between the band´s third and fourth full-length studio albums "Birthday" (1991) and "New Religion" (1994).

"Ace of Spades" features 3 tracks and a total playing time of 8:05 minutes. The title track is of course a cover of the iconic Motörhead track, while "Armageddon Eve" is a new original composition, which is exclusive to this release. "S/M Party" concludes the single and is the band´s most famous track, which first appeared on their debut album "Back from the Grave" (1988) and then later as the title track on the 1988 "S/M Party" EP. The cover of "Ace of Spades" is pretty close to the original, although lead vocalist/guitarist Maike Valanne can´t quite reach the intensity level and uniqueness of Lemmy.

"Ace of Spades" isn´t the most interesting single release, and yet another cover of "Ace of Spades" really isn´t high on my wishlist. Still the material on the single are well performed and well produced so a 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "Birthday" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Finnish, Oulu based thrash metal act Faff-Bey. The album was released through Poko International in 1991. It´s the successor to "Doesn't Feel like Laughing..." from 1990.

"Birthday" is a rather different sounding release to its direct predecessor and it´s especially the vocal style, which has changed. Lead vocalist/guitarist Maike Valanne still has a raw snarling delivery, but it´s not nearly as aggressive or intense as it used to be, and he even occasionally sings semi-melodic lines. The pace of the music is also generally been lowered, and while "Birthday" still features fast-paced thrash metal parts, it features just as many mid-paced heavy riffs and rhythms. While not directly comparable I´m reminded of mid-90s Coroner (in a much less technical version), and sometimes Testament and Nuclear Assault too, but unfortunately in their less interesting versions.

"Birthday" features a decent sounding production job, but I can´t help feel that the soundscape sometimes feels a little thin and empty. "Birthday" isn´t exactly the triumphant continuation of the high quality aggressive and raw thrash metal of the first two albums, that I had expected it to be, and while change isn´t always a band thing, and the change here actually isn´t that profound, "Birthday" still feels like a weaker album than it´s predecessors. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Doesn't Feel like Laughing..." is the 2nd full-length studio album by Finnish, Oulu based thrash metal act Faff-Bey. The album was released through Bad Vugum in 1990. It´s the successor to "Back from the Grave" from 1988, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the 1988 "S/M Party" EP and the 1989 "Emptyhead / No Rule" single.

Stylistically the material on "Doesn't Feel like Laughing..." continues the raw and aggressive but also technically well played thrash metal style that was brifly introduced on the "Emptyhead" track from the "Emptyhead / No Rule" single. While raw energy, razor sharp riffs, furiously fast-paced drumming, and rabid dog snarling vocals are in the high seat here, the songwriting has become slightly more sophisticated since the ultra raw debut album and "Doesn't Feel like Laughing..." is overall also a more varied release. It´s hard to compare Faff-Bey with other artists, but if forced I´d probably pick late 80s Sepultura (I´ll mention Defleshed too, but they came a little later), as Faff-Bey are also in the most extreme end of the thrash metal spectrum, almost reaching death/thrash territories at times. The music is so powerful and intense that the listener is left wondering what hit him/her.

The production values have been upgraded quite a bit since the debut album, and "Doesn't Feel like Laughing..." features a powerful, intense, and detailed sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly.

While I wouldn´t call "Doesn't Feel like Laughing..." a perfect release (some tracks maybe sound a little too much the same), it is a high quality thrash metal release in the extreme end of genre, and it deserves a lot more attention than it got upon release, and than it gets today. This is an underappreciated gem and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.