Skyclad - Prince of the Poverty Line

SKYCLAD have never really gotten their dues, and I'm honestly baffled as to why. It seems a lot of metalheads enjoy traditional folk music, and as one of the originators of the Folk Metal style they should have millions of fans in England alone. Well, life isn't fair, but thankfully SKYCLAD has never quit; instead, they've released album after album of their own unique blend of folk stylings and metal power. And while their releases may have slowed down after the surprising departure of frontman and founder Martin Walkyier, there are still plenty of great albums from the 90s that are just as relevant and enjoyable as they were on their day of release.

Which brings me to "Prince of the Poverty Line", which dates all the way back to 1994. Age hasn't taken its toll on this album one bit, however; instead, the lyrics of Walkyier are even more relevant and insightful today. The sound, of course, is classic SKYCLAD and for those of you who don't know, SKYCLAD is timeless! From the last album, "Jonah's Ark", "Prince of the Poverty Line" is more aggressive and sees the metal elements rise above the folk influences more, which results in a powerful album fueled by the Walkyier's rage and driven by a furious mélange of guitars, violin and intricate drum work.