Pelata I didn't think it was possible, but The Wounded Kings have cranked everything up a couple of notches on this album. The creepy parts are creepier, the oppressive drones are more weighty, and the overall dark intensity of the last record has been compounded. Mixing the atmospheric dirges of Funeral Doom with the epic melody of Traditional Doom, The Wounded Kings are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the modern Doom Metal scene.

'Baptism Of Atlantic' has a downright suffocating presence (especially in headphones). The instrumentation here, and on the entire record for that matter, carries a raw, classic tonality despite the ocean of reverb it's drifting in. Vocally, we're being pummelled with an anguished, depressing (yet very clean) delivery. The 8-minute 'The Sons Of Belial' continues the descent into pitch black madness. The entire album, from 'The Swirling Mist' to 'Invocation Of The Ancients' plays out like a slow, crushing ritual in honor of a malevolent deity.

Listening to 'The Shadow Over Atlantis', one can picture the band live...no front lights, only backlit with tons of smoke. The entire crowd still and silent while being engulfed and consumed by the vibe that The Wounded Kings puts out. That's how cavernous and relentless this album is.