Review by Emma on June 23, 2010.

Trudging, epic, heavy…Heavy Doom from Dartmoor, England. The Wounded Kings present their second full-length "The Shadow Over Atlantis".

Foreboding guitars take the listener through the cosmos to the murky realm of Atlantis. George Birch’s (one of two founding members) ominous vocal style rides the coattails of Messiah Marcolin, but do not taking center stage in the same way. There’s a balance throughout this album between the vocals and the instruments in taking the main stage, helping prevent The Wounded Kings from falling face-first into the muddy tracks of their influences. Their gimpy-turtle tempo also falls out of pattern with earlier doom acts; really The Wounded Kings are picking up the scepter of funereal heaviness that Reverend Bizarre put down. Sounds outside of guitar, bass and drums are kept at the bare minimum, including only Steve Mills (the other founder) on piano. Besides cosmic or psychedelic I would also use the word stonerrrific to describe some of what’s going on with "The Shadow Over Atlantis" particularly with the second track ‘Baptism Of Atlantis,’ which I thought would be more funeral doomy in sound based on the subject, because we all know how that turned out, but it just so happens to be one of the less-depressing tracks of the album.

The ‘sales information’ from the label describes "The Shadow Over Atlantis" as being a warning cry to folks today to not repeat what the citizens of Atlantis did by abandoning their spiritual lives. I need not tell the story of what happened to them for you to get The Wounded King’s point. I can’t say I read that idea specifically from the music or the lyrics, but certainly the image of a bent man on a soapbox came to my mind once the vocals let loose. So they’re getting there but I’d suggest a Blakean manifesto to get beyond the purely narrative impression. So two ideas to walk away with here: 1.) Doomsters-go buy this album 2.) We’re all Doomed.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8
Originality: 8
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Allan on May 23, 2002.

Honestly, I’m not an expert on live albums. I haven’t ever owned any, only heard maybe a few tracks, and have usually steered clear of them. Also, I have never had the pleasure to witness My Dying Bride’s magic in a live setting. Regardless, I was very impressed when I began a journey through “The Voice of the Wretched”. I’ll go as far as to say that this album encapsulates the elements of My Dying Bride as well as, if not better than their studio albums; I can only imagine what it’s like in a real show setting.

“The Voice of the Wretched” is what I would consider the bands first live album. They did release a bonus disk with “The Angel And The Dark River” that showed the band playing songs at Dynamo, but I wouldn’t really consider that a live album. So for their first live album, it does an excellent job of covering material from all albums, excluding “As the Flower Withers” .

Nearly every single nuance is paid close attention to by the band, starting with the major elements and then moving in. The material from each album has a colder, harsher sound than it does in studio which enhances the atmosphere to a certain degree. Since the songs are all from different albums, a problem might be whether or not the album flows well. Even though it’s not as seamless as a studio album, it does seem continuous and not too rigid. Where violin once was, there is now keyboard. It’s surely not as beautiful as a violin, but it is fairly accurate. The production allows each instrument to be heard clearly. Whether it’s Aaron’s vocals over the distorted guitars, or a sweet piano melody, everything seeps through the layers of music. The atmosphere is still here, of course, and it’s as powerful as ever. How you could have that without My Dying Bride doesn’t seem conceivable. It’s just as powerful on here as it is in the studio albums. Everything comes together with sincerity, whether it’s the heaviest riff or the lightest progression.

Every musician on this album plays with tons of emotion, as if their instrument is a part of themselves. Singer Aaron Strainthorpe lays down his vocals in agony and despair, hitting each song’s notes right on. His stripped down approach fits the music very well. Whether it’s the bass, the guitars, or the keyboards, the members all act as a cohesive whole that pay attention to each other instead of worrying about only themselves, in turn creating something that is natural instead of something forced and mechanical.

Bottom Line: Any body that hasn’t had the chance to witness My Dying Bride live, this is probably as close of a representation as you will get until you see them. It serves as a great piece of work until the band releases their next album.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9.5
Atmosphere: 9.5
Production: 9
Originality: 9
Overall: 7

Rating: 8.8 out of 10