THE WOUNDED KINGS - The Shadow over Atlantis CD
I Hate Records
Genre: Doom
England’s THE WOUNDED KINGS must have been on some decent shrooms when they got into the studio to record the six tracks that make up The Shadow over Atlantis. While listening to the first cut “The Swirling Mist” I now know what BAUHAUS would have sounded like it they went doom with Tony Iomni on guitar. Actually as this release crawls on I think this was recorded in an opium den considering the psychedelic atmosphere put forth. Someone must have also tossed in a box of razor blades for extra influence because this is bleak. I will say that I love the heavy downtuned riffs that have an edge about them. The rest of the instrumentation sounds muffled especially the drums. It kinda sounds like there’s some foam stuffed inside em to muffle the beat. I think it takes away from this recording because a crisp and clean drum sound from the snare and toms is what’s missing. Along with the riffs the solos are clean, psyched and at other times jangley. The general vibe here is supposed to be gloomy and they do a good job at it.
The Shadow over Atlantis is a seminal concept album about the apocalypse with the two longest cuts on here “The Swirling Mist” and “Invocation of the Ancients” standing as bookends it to the point of being in a cataclysmic box. The only thing that has any freedom at all on here is the vocals. They have that sung from afar type quality as if narrating while the music represents the enveloping saga. Two cuts on here, “Into the Ocean’s Abyss” and “Deathless Echo” are short keyboard driven pieces which hit the somber note. They kinda rock my Bach meter and have me wanting to find some keyboard driven doom with that old dead composer as an influence. Overall I find this to be an incredible release even with the muffled percussion. I think you need some black lights and a strobe to really enjoy this one plus some cough syrup wouldn’t hurt.
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