Album Review :
The Drowned God - I'll Always Be the Same
By Graham Wall in Reviews | 9 Comments
I’ll Always Be the Same is a tiring listen. For an album that focuses on negative thoughts and emotions, the lyrics really accentuate the music. Human psychology is paradoxical in the sense that even when emotions and thoughts seem to repeat themselves, they can never actually be the same qualitatively, since they occur at different points in time. The music of The Drowned God is an effigy of consciousness, for the song structures are entirely unpredictable, even when there is repetition at either the lyrical or musical level. Blast beats, ambient guitar, singing, and some of the most emotional screams I’ve heard in a long time all have their place. Perhaps the most jarring of time changes is on “If You Were Them, You’d Do It Too,” but it’s entirely welcome. The lyrics are simply devastating and brim with painful introspection, from “Will I be forgotten or will you keep me tucked away?” (“Low in the Heavens”) to “Am I the fault line between us?” (“Confuser”). I’ll Always Be the Same doesn’t offer pat answers to try and make sense of suffering; but instead, this work of art exists as an expression of visceral pain, and ultimately offers solace to those who find such expressions relatable.
Dude, nice review. Your final sentence was particularly persuasive. I’m gonna have to check this out. I dug the song they released on video a few weeks back. I also realized when I saw the finished album cover that their band name is not only a Game of Thrones reference, but apparently either a play on dying to self, or taking yourself off the throne…or maybe not. I guess I’ll have to listen. To be a broken record: I wish Solid State was on Bandcamp.
Their debut is at https://thedrownedgod.bandcamp.com if you didn’t know. I still have to give these guys a listen.
Thanks for reading, man! That’s a compliment coming from an expert reviewer, such as yourself.
Interesting analysis of the name. I haven’t watched G.O.T., so I would have missed that otherwise.
You did what I can’t: painted a clear picture of the album in a clear and concise manner!
So far I’ve loved listening to this album. I went back and listened to The Drowned God’s first album after they signed with Solid State, and was impressed with their sound. Their music is moody and atmospheric, while their vocalist adds so much emotion to their sound. While I think their first album edges the new one out a bit, it’s still excellent, and hopefully a sign of albums to come in 2019.
lthe drowned god are christian band
Have they announced that?
For such a dark subject matter, it sounds like they have the right heart attitude. Not sure how much nevative/reoccuring thoughts and emotions I can take in one sitting, so I might pass on this one.
Yeah, if anything, I would just check out a track at a time in that case. I can see this being the best album I listen to this year, so I recommend it. “Low in the Heavens,” “Body Knot,” and “Less Than an Exit” are my favourites, personally.