Godthrymm Projections

With their third album Projections, set for release on May 29, UK doom metal juggernaut GODTHRYMM have completed their Visions Trilogy begun with 2020’s Reflections debut LP and followed with 2023’s acclaimed Distortions album. During the band’s discourse since the release of Reflections, GODTHRYMM have been recognized as the new emerging band from the UK to bring back the glorious aura of early-mid ‘90s UK doom metal, most notably formulated by the Paceville Three (My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Anathema).
As expected, considering GODTHRYMM was formed and is helmed by UK doom metal veteran Hamish Glencross (ex-My Dying Bride/Vallenfyre/Solstice) and features doom metal drummer extraordinaire Shaun Taylor-Steels (ex-My Dying Bride/Anathema/Solstice). So in this sense, the classic UK doom metal DNA has already been implemented within the sonic fabric of GODTHRYMM.
Projections sees GODTHRYMM continue to develop and broaden their sound even further, and building upon the cornerstones of Distortions. Now with an expanded lineup which includes keyboardist co-vocalist Catherine Glencross, bassist Bob Crolla and new second guitarist Kris McLaughin, Projections is GODTHRYMM’s most layered , varied and complex release yet, all while still upholding the colossal emotionally charged heavy doom backbone that has defined the core of the band’s sound. Projections is also the band’s most aggressive album to date, as Hamish Glencross explains:
“On this new album we present to you songs that channel our passion, our sorrow, our love, our fury - the very essence that makes us who we are, and we hope you find some kindred reflection in yourselves on this journey. Our first album Reflections was a rekindling of our passion and fire for the music we love, the second album Distortions took that template and evolved it ever further with grandeur and vision. Projections takes everything that has brought to this point, and delves into our very musical souls with the appropriate introspection, diversity and contrasts of our emotions that define us. This is who we are, and we project all of this through our new album.”
Projections presents and broadens new sonic horizons brought into the GODTHRYMM sound. Opening the album in traditional doom fare, it is the second half of opening track “Trenches Deep” which sees the band speed up their sound to a more pummeling attack and topping it by including guest vocals from original English Dogs vocalist Adie Bailey and guest vocals from Xentrix vocalist Jay Walsh. The following track “Truth In My Own” can be seen as one of GODTHRYMM’s heaviest and pounding tracks while the album’s diversity shines even more through the atmospheric progressive metal tappings of “Jewels” and the heavy ethereal closer “Hope is Eternal”, these latter two tracks solely helmed by Catherine Glencross.
The album’s two centerpiece tracks “The Sun Never Fell” and “Endure My Skin” are the full-blown epic UK doom monuments serving as two of the mightiest and towering GODTHRYMM tracks ever penned. “Endure My Skin” would also see the return of now-ex My Dying Bride vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe, reuniting once again with his former MDB bandmates Glencross and Steels to do guest vocals on the track, this time the iconic vocalist taking more the center stage for the bulk of the track (whereas on Distortions we saw Stainthorpe provide more of a spoken word segment on the track “Follow Me”).
“The vision and writing for Projections commenced as the recording of the previous album Distortions was in its completion”, Glencross continues. “The direction was to push ourselves further in musical scope and complexity, and was then driven further by artistic ambition in a new lineup showcased on The Light EP, but also then influenced by life’s challenges and subsequent personal tragedy within the band. The songs are a reflection of love, sorrow and fury which we all feel.”