Godthrymm – Projections

Final part of the Visions-trilogy by British doom metal band Godthrymm, consisting of former members of My Dying Bride, Anathema, Vallenfyre, and Solstice, sees the band continuing down the path established, especially on 2023’s Distortions. Sure, the cornerstone was laid on their debut, Reflections, but the sonic evolution displayed on Distortions was by far the biggest development the band had shown up to that point.

So what does that mean? It means that Projections is a collection of doom metal songs that take inspiration from genre greats such as Black Sabbath and Candlemass, while also incorporating elements of classic heavy metal and grunge. The result is potent yet gorgeous, especially when the band slows down and gives more of the spotlight to keyboardist and vocalist Catherine Glencross.
And Projections does that a lot. This album features her on vocals more often than Hamish Glencross himself, and that might take a bit of getting used to because it gives the album a different feel.

That in itself is welcome, especially considering that this is part of a trilogy. As such, it works well that the band uses different elements to make the trilogy more interesting.
Distortions was certainly a massive step up from Reflections, but unfortunately the same cannot be said about Projections, which, despite its obvious evolution, does not match its predecessor when it comes to songwriting quality. And while it also employs some similar production principles, it does not quite achieve the same sonic impact and balance as Distortions. At times, there even seem to be some technical issues with the overall levels of the music, as if there were mistakes in the mastering process or, at best, some unfortunate production choices.

When the band is at its best, such as on the magnificent “Truth In My Own”, everything comes together in a way that works exceptionally well. “Endure My Skin”, featuring a guest performance by former My Dying Bride (and current High Parasite) vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe, is another strong example of Godthrymm’s strengths. Unfortunately, there are too few songs of that caliber on the album. The general songwriting is not as solid or focused as it was on its predecessor, and many tracks lack the same compact quality.

There is a lot of good material here, but the album also comes across as somewhat of a letdown because it includes a significant number of unmemorable songs. Several of them overstay their welcome despite containing some strong moments. It feels as if the band did not spend enough time trimming away the excess and refining the material.

Looking at the trilogy as a whole, this underground doom metal royalty has had something of a bumpy journey as the band continues to search for its identity. The key takeaway is that across these three albums, Godthrymm has struck gold on numerous occasions. If the band focuses on those elements of its musical journey, there is every reason to look forward to Godthrymm next release.

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