Band:	Godthrymm
Album:	Distortions
Style:	Epic doom metal
Release date:	August 2023

01. As Titans
02. Devils [feat. Maggie Glencross & Polly-Jean Glencross]
03. Echoes
04. Obsess And Regress [feat. Al Kotwal]
05. Unseen Unheard [feat. Scoot Gladok]
06. Follow Me [feat. Aaron Stainthorpe]
07. Pictures Remain
08. In Perpetuum Eternal [bonus]

Godthrymm is a fairly new band, featuring former My Dying Bride members, Hamish Glencross (guitars/vocals) and Shaun Taylor-Steels (drums). The band’s debut, Reflections, was very well received by the doom crowd, and said doom crowd was eagerly anticipating the follow-up. Distortions is the second part of Glencross’s Visions trilogy (the third part, Projections, is already in the works), and it very much lives up to expectations.

The music of Godthrymm is epic doom, slow and lumbering, with each song clocking in at over six minutes, and with the album having a total runtime of one hour, featuring only seven songs. Its most prominent feature are the beautiful, melancholic melodies enriching the heavy, sludgy, dirge-like riffs. Just like Radu pointed out in his review of the debut, Godthrymm have an unapologetic love for the ‘90s UK doom sound, musically being closer to Paradise Lost, rather than to My Dying Bride. In addition, I hear a bit of a Pallbearer influence, while I find that the guitar tone here and the vocals also have a despairing emotional impact, similar to the ‘90s grunge scene (check out “Unseen Unheard”, in particular).

In fact, the vocals of Hamish Glencross are a big selling point; it’s rare to find clean vocals that are so well-fitted to the music these days, and he has improved significantly since Reflections (keep in mind that he was never a lead singer before Godthrymm). If this album had growls, which would be the easy option, it would have been a strong melodic death doom album, but, in this form, it is a splendid doom album. The other members are also doing a wonderful job; Hamish’s wife, Catherine Glencross, appears on “As Titans”, “Obsess and Regress”, and “Pictures Remain”, with her soft, ethereal voice, and her atmospheric keyboards. The closing track especially, featuring only her on vocals, feels lighter, maybe even hopeful in sound, and exists almost in contrast with the rest of the album, which is predominantly crestfallen, dark, and heavy. The rhythm section is tight and very well treated in the mix, and I especially love the intro of “Devils”, which is my favourite track, and has the most memorable riff of the album. As an extra treat, Distortions features the guest appearance of My Dying Bride’s Aaron Stainthorpe on the longest song, “Follow Me”, but, in my opinion, it is the lead guitar that steals the show on this one, particularly during the final three minutes.

Lyrically, the album deals with the -familiar for the genre- issues of loss, grief, regret, resolve, love, and the process of overcoming the hardships of life. “Echoes” is a very strong track in this aspect, with the majority of the lyrics coming from the eulogy for a friend of Hamish Glencross and of the band, who passed away a couple of years ago.

While Reflections seemed to take much inspiration from the olden days of doom, being quite dark and monochromatic in its entirety, Distortions feels a bit more varied, contemporary, and finding a few moments of light through the darkness, particularly due to the better and more extensive use of Catherine Glencross’s vocals. I cannot imagine any doom lover left untouched after experiencing Distortions, and I am very much looking forward to the final part of the trilogy.

”Wind whispers echoes of loss
Colours fade, pictures remain”