Funeral Circle

It's great to see some trad doom coming out of Canada's west coast. Vancouver's Funeral Circle definitely and defiantly going against the grain with this self-titled debut, which is full of Candlemass and Trouble worship in all the best ways: with melodies dripping and the vocals ominous, although unfortunately a bit flat, too. They've been plugging away at demos since 2007, and it shows here in the memorable songwriting, maturity and smarts; like true trad doomsters, they keep the production raw, the playing just loose enough and the vibe more important than the minor details. I'd love to see some more expressiveness in the vocals, but tunes like "Amaranthine (Wandering Dreamer)" prove they might get there yet. It's a good debut, with spirit in all the right places.