We Are Nothing - Sørrøwstate ep Review
this is a piece i have personally been excited to write for some time. as you may have already noticed, here at hot & heavy we can't stop talking about sørrøwstate. this is for good reason as not only are they marvellous people outside of music, but they are incredible musicians. lets take a dive into their much anticipated debut ep, "we are nothing".
the intro of the ep resembles extremely closely to Canberra's own st.sinner. that is because vocalist Rory maclean had a hand in creating this piece with sørrøwstate! but it doesn't stop there because at 0.50 seconds in, we're met with the immediate explosive & chaotic sound that is sørrøwstate.
personally i love when bands write intros for an ep or album. it gets you revved up and with the internal visualisation of a mosh pit expanding with the crowd ready to go into battle against each other.
track 2: same old pain
this was released as a single in early july.
same old pain doesn't give you any time to prepare before being hit with a force of noise. vocalist shane burford carries this track with extreme vulnerability.
sharing some restless depths of mental health struggles and challenges including self image, self worth and deprecation. from start to finish, this track explores themes of intense emotional distress, buried in the unwavering sounds of rhythmic guitar, switching between highs and lows with fast paced punchy drums and a cheeky 2-step rhythm.
hot & heavy journalist, ethan cooke was the first to review this track upon release. this review is so glowing that there is not much i can cover without repeating his words.
track 3: no more dead friends, featuring scott middlin. the band knew what they were doing by saving the most brutal song for the ep release.
starting off strong with heavy low tuned guitar with electronic scaling, met with dark bass riffs. this song in particular i notice a lot of influence from Queensland's diesect.
this song comes from a hard place to which the name speaks for itself. this track is a sad, truthful message from the heart, experiencing deep loss and the pain death leaves behind.
vocalist shane burford shared, "no more dead friends was written after attending a really good friend's funeral. i'm sick of it, i think that's friend number 6 now."
the line "we're drowning in a system that doesn't give a shit" is so powerfully true, really throwing back on the mental health services that are lacking from actually taking action when people need it most.
there are so many lyrics that stand out to me throughout the song, it's sad to say a lot of us can relate to this. "how many times am i supposed to survive this before something inside me dies?" leaves me with goosebumps every time i listen, and it doesn't stop there as we continue into the most haunting, eerie breakdown that is neck-to-neck with diesect's 'there was never light'.
track 4: my own grave
continuing with these deep haunting elements we've gotten comfortable with so far, we take a turn into a softer, more mellow version of what sørrøwstate has to offer in this ep. isolated guitar plays, building into the beginning of the a beautiful breakdown. the kind that makes you sway from side to side and nod your head slowly.
now i'm not familiar with silent hill, but the poem that follows draws you in and stirs an uncomfortable yet beckoning feeling i can't resist, almost reminding me of edgar allan poe's 'the raven'.
the instrumentals remain consistent, distorted but mellow and ringing with a steady drum beat, until we're met with a meaty breakdown full of force and grit.
hayes reviewed my own grave in April. she took a deep dive in her review and included discussions with vocalist shane burford about this track & the weight behind it.
track 5: left in the hollow, featuring empty heaven.
straight off the bat we're introduced with meaty guitar riffs slowly building to an explosion with the rest of the band, following with extreme raw vocal talent.
this song is a desperate cry for help whilst living in the most mind fracturing, earth shattering pain & turmoil, and is fuelled by so much power from each instrument behind the lyrics. have you ever been so hurt & betrayed by someone you skip the feeling of wanting an apology and go straight to the darkest emotions of "what's the point, i'm nothing". left in the hollow is all of those emotions bundled up into one hearty, dirty, unforgiving track.
left in the hollow was the first single ever released by sørrøwstate and gave us a flavourful taste of what more was to come from the band. if you're a $uicide Boy$ fan, you'll notice some cheeky inspiration that lies throughout this song too!
this is by far the dirtiest, sludgiest song on the ep and based on the feelings of abandonment, betrayal and lies.
sørrøwstate released this as a single in october 2025, which keely had the honour of reviewing at the time.
track 6: rot with me
you have maybe 5 seconds of recovery time from left in the hollow into rot with me, before experiencing whiplash from being thrown into the depths of heavy eruptions sørrøwstate is known for.
rot with me is the final song of the we are nothing ep. this was also the follow up track from left in the hollow and features similar themes sonically, while lyrically this song becomes an even stronger "fuck you!"
the guitar and bass riffage is brutal, fast and distorted with deep hectic and hearty drumming that you feel in the chest.
"i watched you lie, watched you thrive in my decay, now i'm the ruin left in your wake"
vocalist and lyricist shane burford shared with me, "certain "friends" knew what i was going through, but decided to contribute to the hurt and pain."
this song is for the ones that do you dirty, kicking you when you're already down, then after you've cut them off, they always come crawling back begging for forgiveness when they need you... honestly, just send them the link to this song and tell them to get fucked, then laugh in their face.
if i did ratings, this ep would be a 10/10. we've explored every element of mental pain, torture, self image, relationship breakdowns, and it has been wrapped up in a beautiful bow of disgustingly heavy riffs, drums, screams and the occasional cleans. i love the gathering of inspiration that made this ep, from video games, rap artists and even our own local aussie bands - it's clear that sørrøwstate are people with culture, creativity and passion.
we are nothing was produced by rohan
jurkowski, guitarist of adelaide's dreameater.
sørrøwstate are:
shane burford - vocals
dylan deroussent - drums
daniel stocco - guitar
connor husker - bass
austin zrim - guitar
