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.