Review Summary: Angst and despair to get lost in.
The Drowned God prove difficult to pigeonhole straight off the bat. Their emotional hardcore tendencies become initially apparent; yet, without much peeling back of the proverbial layers it's possible to see their penchant for swirling, dream-like passages gives debut EP 'The Ebony Void' a somewhat ethereal feel as found in some facets of indie rock, and their more aggressive moments akin to post-hardcore and even post-metal. Indeed, it may be more fitting to simply label them 'The Drowned God', and to utter the disgusting cliché of letting the music do the talking.
The guitars play a primarily atmospheric role, shifting between post-rock style tremolo-picks shielded by repetitive jangly arpeggios (used to great effect on closer 'Intestate') to more typically post-hardcore, lower register breaks. Notable at this point is 'The Ebony Void's lack of 'prettiness', a comparative rarity for the subgenre particularly when post-rock influences are obvious; instead, the album maintains a darker, more introspective tone, lended greatly by the usage of said guitars. A slightly unusual feature of the album is the prominence of the bass guitar, in many ways the most 'individual' part of the set-up. This isn't to say that it's a totally aloof presence; rather, it manages to stand out both from the mix and musically from the rest of the band in a way which creates further interest without detracting from the overall uncomfortable feel.
Lyrically 'The Ebony Void' shines throughout. Without the usage of emotionally impacting hooks and choruses, the wordings and poeticisms read more like a letter to oneself - despite there being allusions to there being a subject of these musings, the degree of rhetory and self-mocking proves a thin disguise that nothing here would truly be meant for the person in question. The vocalist screams and rasps these lines with such conviction and transparency that the overwhelming feeling is that of woe - a barrage signifying a lack of self-worth, of the feeling that nothing they do can ever be enough.
However, with the constant focus on atmosphere and self-deprecation it creates a double-edged sword somewhat. Despite there being enough difference between the tracks as a whole that they're distinctive with enough listening, primarily because of the lack of changing dynamics in the guitars and vocals it can feel sometimes that 'The Ebony Void' is one 20 minute track, as opposed to 3 distinguishable songs. While it still manages to sound as satisfyingly bleak at the end as it did at the start, one wishes that a bit more attention had been paid to ensuring the tracks had a bit more of a separate character, rather than forming a telling yet unrelenting block of despair which is sometimes difficult to digest.
Despite the above issue, The Drowned God's debut EP still provides a darker, more sinister angle to the emotive hardcore subgenre. Eschewing the 'brightness in D minor' which many opt for, the oppressive nature of this manages to balance angst and nihilism to demoralising effect. For those mourning the loss of the recently departed Barrow, this is a more-than-satisfactory replacement.
