Prince of the Poverty Line

Prince of the Poverty Line
Studio album by
Released22 March 1994
GenreFolk metal
Length52:00
LabelNoise
ProducerKevin Ridley
Skyclad chronology
Jonah's Ark
(1993)
Prince of the Poverty Line
(1994)
The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Metal Hammer6/7[2]

Prince of the Poverty Line is the fourth full-length studio album by British folk metal band Skyclad. It is a loose concept album about urban decay in post-Thatcherite Britain.

According to Kevin Ridley, producer and, from 1997, a full band-member, this album remains their biggest seller. Many people consider it to be the band's masterwork.

Track listing

  • All songs written by Ramsey/Walkyier except where noted.
  1. "Civil War Dance" – 5:03
  2. "Cardboard City" – 5:05
  3. "Sins of Emission" – 3:33
  4. "Land of the Rising Slum" – 4:28
  5. "The One Piece Puzzle" – 5:52
  6. "A Bellyful of Emptiness" – 4:57
  7. "A Dog in the Manger" – 6:10
  8. "Gammadion Seed" – 5:26
  9. "Womb of the Worm" – 6:56
  10. "The Truth Famine" – 4:30
  11. "Brothers Beneath the Skin" (Limited edition bonus track) – 3:45

The US edition of the album contains the studio tracks from the Skyclad EP Tracks from the Wilderness as alternate bonus tracks, including the Thin Lizzy cover, "Emerald":

  1. "Emerald" – 3:34 (Gorham/Downey/Robertson/Lynott)
  2. "A Room Next Door" – 4:51
  3. "When All Else Fails" – 4:19

Personnel

  • Martin Walkyier – lead vocals
  • Steve Ramsey – six and twelve String Guitars, Backing Vocals
  • Dave Pugh – electric and acoustic guitars
  • Cath Howell – keyboards, violin, backing vocals
  • Graeme English – bass, backing vocals
  • Keith Baxter – drums
  • With Tony Bray, Steve Chahley, Graig Dodds, Mark Dodds, Alex Martin – additional backing vocals

Production

  • Produced by Kevin Ridley and Skyclad
  • Engineered and mixed by Kevin Ridley

References

  1. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. Prince of the Poverty Line at AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  2. ^ Schöwe, Andreas (April 1994). "Skyclad – Prince Of The Poverty Line". Metal Hammer (in German). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2026.