#godthrymm — Public Fediverse posts

UK doom metal saviors Godthrymm are a damn good band. If you’ve had a chance to listen to either their full-length debut Reflections or their follow-up in 2023’s mighty Distortions, you already know just how talented and outright heavy their brand of doom and traditional metal can get. Then again, you’d also know that their pedigree (with stints in Vallenfyre, Solstice, and of course My Dying Bride, among others) pretty much guaranteed a rock-solid backdrop to their sound. With all that said, I’ve awaited Projections, their final piece to their Visions, for as long as it was announced. Now that it’s upon us, and I’ve had a chance to spend a good, solid week with it, I’ve got some major concerns.

Before I get into the reasons why, let’s focus on the good. There are no poor performances on the album from anybody. Lead-off single “Truth in My Own” is classic Godthrymm through and through, with Hamish Glencross and newcomer Kris McLaughlin throwing down riff after heavy riff, and Hamish’s voice is once again in fine form, especially when he sings alongside his wife, keyboardist Catherine Glencross. Elsewhere, “Endure My Skin” features a fine performance by former My Dying Bride (and current High Parasite) vocalist, Aaron Stainthorpe, reuniting him with Hamish and fellow MDB alumni, drummer Shaun Taylor-Steels. Those two songs are Godthrymm personified.

Sadly, there are four other songs on here,1 and that’s where the concerns lie. Opener “Trenches Deep,” which features Adie Bailey (English Dogs) and Jay Walsh (Xentrix) providing additional vocals, starts off promising enough, but for whatever reason, transitions into a thrash tune that sounds eerily like MDB’s “The Forever People,” and the way it was shoehorned in is anything but natural. At the other end, closer “Hope is Eternal” starts off with an impressive drum fill by Taylor-Steels, and a somber performance by Catherine, until we get to the chorus, which features Catherine wailing “MEEEEEEeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeee…” repeatedly. In fact, Catherine features more vocally on this album than Hamish, which isn’t a bad thing at all. I just wish the songs were better, with the other two songs, “Jewels” and “The Sun Never Fell,” not making an impact with me no matter how many times I listen, and no matter who is singing.

It doesn’t help that there are production issues as well. For some inexplicable reason, about halfway through the thrash portion of “Trenches Deep,” there’s a noticeable volume dip, as well as some major compression. I don’t know if this was intentional, but it’s highly off-putting. That volume dip would later reverse itself as “The Sun Never Fell” jacks the volume back up for no reason at all. On my first listen, I thought I was imagining things when it came to the production side, but on repeated listens, they’re right there, and they’re distracting on an album that’s already having a tough time winning me over on a songwriting level. And that absolutely sucks to say, especially since Godthrymm, up until now, has been delivering nothing but slam dunks on each of their preceding albums.

This is not how I envisioned reviewing Projections. In what should have been a hat trick, I’m left baffled and more than a little disappointed. I’m hoping this is just a hiccup, as Godthrymm stand toe-to-toe with the absolute best in British doom metal, rivaling the best that many of the heroes of that genre. With Reflections, they channeled the very best love letter to the classics of yore. On Distortions, they added their own flavor and punch to that sound, resulting in my favorite album of 2023. Sadly, on Projections, I’m listening to this solely for writing this review, and little else. This is not how I wanted things to transpire.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Profound Lore
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 29th, 2026

Oromet – The Sinking Isle Review

By ClarkKent

‘Tis the season. No, not the holidays. ‘Tis the season for doom and gloom, at least here in southeastern Michigan, where the days have grown shorter, clouds are overcast, the temps have dropped, and the trees have lost just about all of their colorful leaves. To celebrate this season, I have decided to review nothing but doom for the month of November. First up is the sophomore album from Sacramento, California’s Oromet, The Sinking Isle. Their self-titled debut impressed Cherd enough to earn a spot on his best of the year list in 2023. Oromet’s two members have plenty of experience with a myriad of other doom bands, from the blackened versions of Desiccation and Occlith to the stoner doom of Battle Hag to the non-doom atmoblack of Feral Season. As experts on sounds both atmospheric and sorrowful, the duo has pounced on funeral doom for their most recent project. What they offer the genre is a lush beauty that deserves your full attention.

The Sinking Isle brings back the same formula found on Oromet—one 20-minute song followed by two songs just over 10 minutes each—but layered with more complexity. The music is at once serene and meditative, as evidenced by the opening sounds of rainfall and lightly plucked acoustics on “Hollow Dominion.” As the song continues, there’s a sense of dueling moods between despair and hope. Oromet conveys these moods through contrasting guitar tones: the heavy, dark tone of the bass on the one hand, and the up-tuned guitar melodies on the other. As “Hollow Dominion” moves on from the natural sounds of rainfall to the plodding of the guitar and bass, a sense of sorrow pervades. Minutes later, guitarist Dan Aguilar plays a more uplifting tone that echoes the hopeful tunes of Counting Skies rather than the weighty riffs of fellow funeral doomsters Godthrymm. From the desolation of nature—the “sinking” isle, the “hollow” dominion, the “forsaken” tarn—somehow emerges a feeling of hope, maybe healing.

While all aspects of The Sinking Isle work, I find the drumming by Patrick Hills particularly arresting. Funeral doom typically features plodding beats, as if matching the power and pace of a giant’s gait. That’s there on The Sinking Isle, but there’s also more. Hills sometimes plays sudden bursts of staccato blasts, as if trying to encourage a brisk march. These beats impress a sense of constant action, as if something is trying to break free. Eleven minutes into “Hollow Dominion,” Hills surprises with war-like drum blasts that sound reminiscent of machine gun fire from a World War II film. The war-sounding drums return on “Marathon,” but this time with the cadence and feel of cannon fire. These moments contain a surreal violence, and they always precede periods of tranquility, lulls in the onslaught of guitars and growls. While the guitar melodies are mesmerizing, the drums demand you pay even closer attention.

The paradoxes that pervade The Sinking Isle help make it such a compelling listen. The most obvious paradox is that between despair and hope. There are also, as described above, moments of violence and moments of serenity. Another paradox is one between realism and fantasy. The guitars and drumming provide grounding, placing us somewhere in the realm of the real, but then there are periods of synths that sound like something out of a sci-fi/fantasy world. Despite the snail’s pace, Oromet keeps you on your toes, keeps you wondering and guessing at the puzzle the music weaves. Moods shift from peace to sorrow, from violence to hope. Yet because it is funeral doom, these moods take time to develop before shifting to the next. The Sinking Isle meditates deeply on these themes and lulls you with its lush soundscapes. By the closing minutes of “Forsaken Tarn,” the mix of sorrow and hope that has dominated the record reveals a sense of beauty in the loneliness and desolation the music conveys. It’s an astonishing feat.

The Sinking Isle fell into my hands at a hectic time in my life, and it has served as a healing balm. It is a meditation on loss, on things falling apart, on loneliness. But the lightness of the melodies ensures these dark feelings never overwhelm. As monumental as Oromet’s debut was, this one is a step forward thematically and musically. It reinvents what funeral doom can be—not just a crushing sense of sorrow, but a genre that can raise your spirits as well. It leaves me hopeful for what Oromet can achieve in the future.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hypaethral Records
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

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