Containing seven songs ‘Distortions’ offers captivating guitar melodies that have become a sense of glamour. With its opening track ‘As Titans’ we can immediately experience the power of the immense guitar riffs and soaring vocals towering over the crushing drums. Godthrymm keeps its sorrowful momentum for an epic one hour. The overt proficiency of the quartet this time is blessed with the woeful angelic vocals/keyboards of Catherine Glencross, adding textures to the song structures.

The album’s highlight is that the guitars are meticulously crafted with powerful gothic doom riffs and portray a surge of emotions. While in the following track ‘Devils’ the guitars emphasize their ability to stir up the tempo. From the first notes the driving rhythm shows how the anthemic vocals of vocalist/guitarist Hamish Glencross boost the dynamics. Sludgy riffs and tempo awash with crushing moments, bring Paradise Lost and Solstice to memory. Godthrymm expands its take on the style of epic doom. Each song contains hooky riffs and plenty of dark morose dirges.

The lead guitars bring out the gloominess in the track ‘Echoes’ and the slow build-up of the striking guitars allows the darker elements to shine. The sorrowful guitar tone with its subtle undertone creates a beautiful haunting melody, and there are plenty of heavier sections that firmly build on massive riffs. ‘Distortions’ achieves a high level of quality. There is more profundity in the composition than in the first studio album with songwriting is inspired by My Dying Bride. The rhythm section carries the whole weight of the song to keep the listener sunken into a depression. The slow march of the guitars creates a hanging backdrop of a gothic scenery and the mellow riffs, which add textures to the music, have a sorrowful appeal.

The riffing is laden with a filament of aggression and there is also an apparent change in the style of drumming. While ‘Obsess and Regress’ breaks the tone from the previous songs, it conveys equal parts of dual vocals which also shows the role of the female vocals. Godthrymm has reinvented themselves as the quartet stays true to their sense of epic doom. ‘Unseen Unheard’ is balanced between the heavy pounding drums, lumbering guitar riffs and a vivid keyboard section that shrouds the mourning vocals in a dark cloak. The slow section features some beautiful vocal delivery, showcasing the sorrowful doom trademark of the band. Although some of the riffs are diverse, they somehow underpin the song’s cadence.

• The twelve minutes epic track ‘Follow Me’ is one of my favorite songs on the album. It begins with a slow riff and carries the listener to the end of a deep dark tunnel. There is a great interplay between the drumming pace and the stomping riffs. There is even more atmosphere in the song that captures the quality of U.K. doom metal and the female vocal sections is full of new twists. The use of the arpeggio guitar section and the melodic leads have some similarities to My Dying Bride.

The vocal delivery of Hamish Glencross deserves applause for his dramatic crooning. The atmosphere slumps into a deep depression with the guitar melodies being incredibly catchy alongside the solemn pace of the drums. Given the spacious length of the guitar,  Catherine Glencross‘ swooning voice beautifully accompanies the arpeggio guitars. Godthrymm nails its final hammer in the coffin with the closing track ‘Pictures Remain’, which is another melancholic cut led by her stunning vocals. Her vocal technique somehow recalls bands like Unholy and Theatre of Tragedy. Until the final moments of the album the intricate music ventures through delicate guitar chords. The vivid instruments emphasize the lushness of the atmosphere and bring a somber ending to the album.

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