Brit doomsters Godthrymm cover a lot of ground on this debut four track outing, despite each of the three ‘proper’ tracks – final track Forevermore is a short instrumental – actually sounding pretty similar.

The basic feel of the production gives some of the music a distinct NWoBHM feel as opposed to the cavernous, echoing bluster achieved my most bands that operate in this theatre; similarly Hamish Glencross’ limited vocal style also harks back to those early eighties days when the vocals on a metal record were so often seemingly recorded as an afterthought. There are no Messiah Marcolin style wailfests here, which gives the EP a much heavier, dirtier feel all round. And that’s a welcome deviation from today’s norm.

Glencross sounds best vocally (he also plays guitar alongside fellow ex-Solstice alumnus Lee Netherwood) on third track The Pantheon, which is also probably the most advanced-sounding track on offer, although his theatrical performance on the title track is worthy of note, if only because it gives the song a real David Byron-era Uriah Heep feel.

Despite seemingly being happy to be labelled as a doom outfit this track sees Godthrymm hinting at a capability far beyond that limiting soubriquet. At it’s heart this is just good, old-fashioned heavy metal, albeit with a funereal edge, and I look forward to hearing the band in full flight on a full-length album.

A Grand Reclamation is out now on Transcending Records.