Funeral Circle - Demo 2008

January 13, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Canada has produced some pretty good metal acts over the years. Bands from Sacrifice to Deaf Dealer, Witchkiller to Exciter have all contributed greatly to the metal gene pool in some fashion or other. Now the doom metal act Funeral Circle is attempting to add a bastard child to the lineage with the revamp of its 2008 Demo. So, does it hold water, eh?

Well, let’s see. I’m sure the music on here would be pretty damn good if it were, to be blunt, a bit more legible. The raw, almost boom-box sound of the live demo is enough to just barely keep my interest, but the music and what it should sound like are enough to pique my stay. Even in its utmost infancy, any true doom metal can be heavier than the better speed or death metal bands you might put up against it. But the band has to be firing on all cylinders throughout with no surrender to complacency and/or unoriginality, a feat not easy today by any stretch. Sadly, Funeral Circle’s redo of its demo is lacking the punch and clarity for me to really groove on it like I’m sure I otherwise could.

Now, I’ve heard the band’s EP, Sinister Sacrilege, and enjoyed the hell out it! For me, it was one of the finer meshes of NWOBHM and traditional doom metal that Sabbath themselves might raise a pint to back in ’69. The demo is just that, a demo, and I understand that. I’ve been on a few myself over the years and know well the trials and tribulations of producing something ready for public consumption. The band is a damn fine band, solid and able-bodied, but this demo is not the best representation of what it’s attempting to convey, and I hesitate to brandish a demo bad or otherwise when I know the band is capable of so much more. Still, I work with what’s in front of me, so the ’08 demo is mediocre for such an otherwise strong band.

The music sounds like a cross between Lucifuge-era Danzig, Slough Feg and St. Vitus. For whatever reason, the Lucifuge album keeps coming up to the frontal lobe when ingesting this demo, which is far from a negative. Everyone may have a different view or think that Chris is out of his freakin’ skull…what Danzig? That said, subjectivity is the cornerstone of review work, and being a fan is the finest place to uncover these bands. As a voice of both in this position, I like what’s lying beneath: a somewhat Slough Feg-ish feel that could very well overpower you if given the chance. 

On this plane of thought, I’ll say this: The demo is a far cry from what this band can do, musically and from an audibility perspective. While this recording isn’t exactly something I’ll pop on for late night meanderings through the graveyard across town, I invite you to check out the band’s EP and treat yourself to a damn good band with one otherwise so-so representation. While the music on this demo is good, the EP, in its entire splendor, is much more enjoyable and deserves checking out.

Release Date: June 23, 2008
Label: Wargoat/Ross Bay

TRACK LISTING

1.  Intro / Funeral Circle
2.  Obelisk
3.  Black Colossus

Total playing time: 26:40

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