Embrace of the Narrow House

Slow, crushingly heavy Doom Metal from the U.K. is what you get on The Wounded Kings' debut, Embrace of the Narrow House. This is generic Doom in the Candlemass style (i.e. clean vocals). It is well played and heavier than a ton of bricks, but I couldn't find anything about it that made me say "OK, that's what makes this is cool." On the other hand, nothing about it really sucks so it ends up just kind of "there." The lead guitar work of Steve Mills and George Birch is above average while Birch's vocals are a sort of Doom version of The Cult's Ian Astbury and mixed very low so that despite singing in the clean style, he's difficult to understand.

Die hard Doom fans will undoubtedly enjoy Embrace from the Narrow House but it contains little of interest for anyone else.