Album Review: Ebonivory - The Long Dream I

To say that for a young band to attempt a full-blown concept piece on what is just their second full-length record is a ballsy move is an understatement. But that’s what these hyper-ambitious Ballarat boys have done. And kudos to them for their bravery. Of course, it’s nowhere near good enough to have the lofty aspirations, it’s another thing entirely to pull it off with aplomb. And have they managed it?

The answer could not possibly be a more resounding ‘YES!’

The album is a true journey - and not just in its ambition, not in its lyrical vision and construction of an engaging story, not just in the technical expertise of its instrumentation and production and not just in the sheer amount of ground it covers in a musical sense. Although, all those boxes have been ticked in no uncertain terms. While a regular album of songs certainly must come across as a cohesive piece of work, a concept album must be a living, breathing, holistic beast. It first and foremost must weave a compelling tale and work as an immersive end-to-end listen. The listener should be able to drop in at any track and find instant gratification there too, especially in this day and age of streaming, playlists and goldfish-level attention spans. 

The Long Dream I achieves all that and more. It is a masterwork in anyone’s language, but for such a young band, it is nothing short of a triumph.

And the best part about the whole thing is that this is ‘only’ part one of an intended two-part concept album! The mind fairly boggles….