Berlin-based sludge rockers Earth Ship will release their first album since 2018, titled Soar, Aug. 9 through The Lasting Dose Records, which is the label run by the band’s guitarist/vocalist Jan Oberg, also producer at his own Hidden Planet Studio, and who also features in Grin and Slowshine alongside Earth Ship bassist Sabine Oberg. I got to see the pair and non-Oberg drummer André Klein — let’s assume he’s part of the family regardless of surname — last year at Freak Valley Festival in Germany (review here), and they played again this year doing a secret set that was jam-packed despite the deluge of rain happening at the time.

If it seems counterintuitive that I called he bands prolific when they haven’t done a record in six years, fair enough, but they haven’t been idle in that time. Jan has worked producing Daevar and others at Hidden Planet, started the label to release his and others’ work, and he and Sabine offered Slowshine‘s debut (which one hopes will get a follow-up at some point) and a couple killer outings from Grin, so while it’s not all localized to one outfit or the other, there’s still a lot being done. Just wanted to clarify.

No audio yet from Soar, but you know how that goes and presumably there will be before Aug. 9. In the meantime, the art and album info came down the PR wire thusly:

EARTH SHIP: Berlin Based Doom/Sludge/Metal Outfit Announces New Album “Soar”; The Band’s Sixth Full-Length to See Release August 9th on THE LASTING DOSE RECORDS

Preorder HERE: https://thelastingdoserecords.bandcamp.com/

Soar will be available on CD, vinyl and digitally on August 9, 2024.

Comments the band: “A phantasmagorical exploration of fever dreams and twilight states, Soars is a psychotronic collection of swaggering rhythms and dazzling textures. EARTH SHIP uncover a world in which every extended riff is journey into trance Atlantis, where your mind is immersed in hazy lofi-lullabies and heavy retro sounds.”

After 6 years of silence, sludge/doom trio EARTH SHIP make an unexpected return with their sixth album Soar. A phantasmagorical exploration of fever dreams and twilight states, Soars is a psychotronic collection of swaggering rhythms and dazzling textures. Plowing their way through eight longform tracks, EARTH SHIP uncover a world in which every extended riff is a journey into trance Atlantis, where your mind is immersed in hazy lofi-lullabies and heavy retro sounds.

Born in 2010 from the mother lode of the German sludge metal scene, EARTH SHIP emerged as one of the most relentless and heavy-hitting live bands of the European mainland. Consisting of heavy power couple Jan and Sabine Oberg (who also play together in GRIN and Slowshine) and a rotating cast of drummers, EARTH SHIP have played with many renowned acts such as Voivod, Red Fang, Crowbar and Amenra.

On Soar the two are joined by Slowshine-drummer André Klein (The Smokin ’44’s) whose no frills playing forms the perfect backdrop for the duo’s gut-wrenching riffage. Wandering along the steady rhythm of the drums, your mind is warmly held by deep bass tones and slowly engulfed by hazy lullabies of earth-toned guitars and vocals. EARTH SHIP color their world in Jan Oberg’s characteristic lofi-sound, being recorded, as is tradition, by him in his own Hidden Planet Studio. These songs are a testament to his 18 year-long experience as one of Germany’s most prolific producers in sludge metal, having released many pristine sounding records with his own bands GRIN and Slowshine, but also via his label The Lasting Dose Records. Jan knows how to render a metal band’s sound with incredible attention to detail but without unnecessary polish and this album is no exception to his indelible ethos.

With Soar the characteristic EARTH SHIP-sound is lifted to new heights. From the shifting time-signatures of album opener Shallow to the lovely old-school vibes of Daze and Delights, Soars is a literal delight to listen to for fans of slow and heavy with a good sound system. A mighty recommendation for doom metal aficionados with an ear for detail and a delicate nose for quality riffs!

DISCOGRAPHY:
2011 Earth Ship – Exit Eden/Pelagic Records
2012 Earth Ship – Iron Chest/Pelagic Records
2013 Earth Ship – …As if she were a black bird EP/Raddatz Records
2014 Earth Ship – Withered/Pelagic Records
2016 Earth Ship – Hollowed/Napalm Records
2018 Earth Ship – Resonant Sun/Pelagic Records

LINE-UP 2024:
Sabine Oberg – Bass
André Klein – Drums
Jan Oberg – Guitars, Vocals

https://www.facebook.com/wearetheearthship/
https://www.instagram.com/earthship_official/
https://earthship.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thelastingdoserecords/
https://thelastingdoserecords.bandcamp.com/

Earth Ship, “Silver Decay” official video