GRIN - Fuller (Single Review)

Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: The Lasting Dose Records. Formats: DD

Fuller - Tracklist

Fuller

Lineup

S. Oberg – Bass Guitar

J. Oberg – Drums, Vocals

Review

Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metallers GRIN return with this cool heavy little new number called Fuller. This track features a heavier and distorted sound from GRIN that has a murkier Industrial presence compared to their acclaimed 2025 album Acid Gods. The song still keeps with GRIN’s trademark style of broken melodies and beat-up grooves that merge the heavier Stoner Metal themes with great precision.

There’s a slight Punk Rock sound that develops in the backgrounds with Sabine’s bass guitar having an experimental presence whilst Jan’s vocals and drumming having a more aggressive drive which makes for superb beautiful carnage when they fully join creative focus together. There’s some frantic instrumental sludgy solos forming along the way which shows quite a different Post-Metal dynamic that GRIN have applied before.

Even the sonic and psychedelic movements that appeared on GRIN’s previous releases have been kept to a bare minimum and only make an appearance towards the end of the song. It’s good to see GRIN trying new things with their music and with the promise of a new album in 2027 then we know the band are fully cooking on gas in delivering some finely tuned and pissed off Sludge Metal sounds of the highest order.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

GRIN - Incantation (7 inch Single Review)

Release Date: August 29th 2025. Record Label: The Lasting Dose Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Incantation - Tracklisting

1.Incantation 03:54

2.The Color Of Ghosts 04:22

3.Echoes In The Static (Bonus Track) 04:24

Members

S. Oberg – Bass Guitar

J. Oberg – Drums, Vocals

Review

Sludge/Stoner Metallers GRIN return in spectacular fashion with their blazing new 7 inch single which features three tracks that could easily have fit within any of their brilliant albums especially their latest record Acid Gods that was released a few months ago. The sound is full of Slusge Metal aggression with GRIN’s trademark style of Distorted Psychedelics and slight Industrial based melodies that soon goes into Stoner Metal dynamics.

The opening title track Incantation has a nightmarish FUZZ METAL attitude that has a trippy HORROR based vibe that manifests into a surreal Industrial Rock/Metal element built around Jan’s outstanding vocals that is perhaps his scariest and most demonic sounding to date. Sabine’s bass have a devastating and apocalyptic quality to them which allows Jan’s drums to fully hold everything together. There’s a twisted sense of melody appearing which GRIN are absolute masters at. This is one powerful trip into the darker side of GRIN’s creative outlook.

Second track The Color Of Ghosts feels like GRIN are channelling their other projects such as Earth Ship and Slowshine with its sense of twisted Doom-Pop melodies and Sludge Rock aggression. The clean vocals are superb and allow GRIN to play a subdued style of music compared to the opening track. GRIN are at their creative best on this track as it shows a different side to them with a more hopeful based track that fans of FLOOR and TORCHE will love. The final stages sees GRIN return to the heavy Sludge Metal environment they’ve made their names with.

The final track Echoes In The Static is a fast-paced number with a Punk Rock attitude with the music being slightly chaotic with DIY production values that once again shows a different side to GRIN. The song definitely has a “LESS IS MORE” approach but still makes up for thrilling and bombastic beats with Jan’s drumming being quite erratic and unpredictable at times. I mean that as a huge compliment. Sabine’s bass has a dominant and direct vibe that makes it my favourite part of the whole track. The warped Psychedelic sound effects have a soaring and gloomy energy that allows GRIN to end this record in highly spectacular fashion.

Incantation is another epic release from GRIN that once again proves why they’re one of the finest and most hard working Sludge/Stoner Metal bands to emerge from the German underground scene. 

Yeah, I absolutely loved this twisted slice of HEAVY MUSIC and even though it’s only on for around thirteen minutes, this is an essential record to own. Outstanding once again from GRIN!!!

Words by Steve Howe

You can buy Incantation now on Digital Download and Vinyl from The Lasting Dose Records.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

GRIN - Acid Gods (Album Review)

Release Date: May 30th 2025. Record Label: The Lasting Dose Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Acid Gods - Tracklisting

1.Black Dye

2.Nocturno 

3.Drag Me Down 

4.Beneath The Altar

5.Crystals

6.Unshut 

7.Slivers

8.Wild Eyes

9.Nebulas

10.Heavy Dew

Members

S. Oberg – Bass Guitar

J. Oberg – Drums, Vocals

Review

Acid Gods is the latest entry from Psych/Sludge/Stoner Metallers GRIN where the band explore a heavier and primal sound compared to their 2024 album HUSH. This record feels more closely aligned to EARTH SHIP, the other band that Jan and Sabine are part of. With a heavier Sludge Metal backdrop and less Spaced Out attitude, Acid Gods feels like GRIN have stripped out the heavier progressive tendencies they built up over the last few records that allows the band to have a desperate rough and ready delivery where the SLUDGE aspect of their music to fully flourish with intense delivery and aggression.

The vocals from Jan are the most violent I’ve heard from him in a very long time with a mighty PISSED OFF attitude being felt from every vocal arrangement he delivers throughout the whole album. Jan’s vocals remind me of his early days with the mighty EARTH SHIP which is very good to hear and allows Acid Gods to be quite different to GRIN’s other records.

With GRIN operating with a Bass and Drums setup, the music is way more chaotic but still allows the band to deliver a stylish and industrial style of music that’s violent, aggressive and wholly melodic. Bone-crunching grooves and heavy electronic beats converge for a demented style of music with apocalyptic storytelling to match forming on tracks such as Black Dye, Nocturno, Beneath The Altar, Unshut, Nebulas and Heavy Dew. 

The record has elements of classic sounding Industrial Metal, Post-Metal and Psychedelic Doom sounds that will no doubt appeal to fans of RELAPSE RECORDS generation when they had bands such as MASTODON, GENGHIS TRON and BARONESS on their roster. Acid Gods achieves that highly experimental sound that become quite popular within the late 2000’s and early 2010’s of HEAVY MUSIC. 

There is a cinematic Psychedelic and Sonic attitude lurking within the background of Acid Gods which is perhaps personified by Sabine’s intense, intricate and superbly clever BASS guitar. Jan’s once again excels on drumming duties and putting another shift on producing, mixing and mastering duties. Well, this is THE LASTING DOSE RECORDS release and I expect Jan to be in complete control on the production side of things.

Acid Gods allows GRIN to tap into their heaviest, scariest and most Primal creative instincts for a record that dares to be quite different and still allows longtime fans of the band to experience another thrilling and groove laden brilliantly entertaining album from the band. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Against PR and GRIN for the promo.

ACID GODS is due out on CD/DD/Vinyl formats via The Lasting Dose Records from Friday May 30th 2025.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Exclusive Video Premiere For Sludge/Stoner Metallers GRIN New Song BENEATH THE ALTAR

With "Acid Gods", heavy psych-doom duo GRIN push their raw and hypnotic sound to new extremes. Stripping things down to just fuzzed-out bass, pounding drums and vocals, Jan (drums, vocals) and Sabine Oberg (bass) prove once again that less can hit a lot harder. Picking up where the "Black Nothingness" EP left off, they dive deeper into lo-fi heaviness and textured sludge, with zero interest in following trends or softening the blow.

"Acid Gods" is all grit, weight and conviction. Tracks like Beneath the Altar and Unshut hit hard with thick grooves and a sludgy stomp reminiscent of The Melvins and Eyehategod. Jan’s vocals take center stage more than ever before, shifting between haunting and aggressive as the songs swell and collapse under waves of distorted low-end. Drag Me Down and Crystals push that balance further, with layered vocals cutting through hypnotic bass lines and driving percussion.

"Wild Eyes" shows how much tension GRIN can build with the bare minimum, and "Heavy Dew" closes the album in a tidal wave of fuzz and reverb, dragging the listener under before letting go. There’s a strange beauty in how stripped-down and overwhelming this record feels at the same time.

Recorded at Hidden Planet Studio in Berlin, Acid Gods was produced, mixed, and mastered by Jan Oberg, giving the record a raw but controlled sound. The artwork by Dawid M. Piprek and Caspar Orfgen (DAEVAR) mirrors the album’s dark, trippy vibe, perfectly tying together the music’s oppressive weight and hypnotic atmosphere.

Grin has been building toward this moment since their 2018 debut Revenant, refining their sound across Translucent Blades (2020), Phantom Knocks (2022) and Hush (2024).

With their continuously evolving sound, GRIN are a beacon of boundless creativity in the scene and "Acid Gods" is new testament to their artistry. On "Acid Gods" everything is just more. The intensity of the riffs, the boldness of the vocals, the heaviness of the bass and the detailed crunch of the production. Every GRIN album will have you wondering if this band can get any heavier (or better) and the answer is always YES.

"Acid Gods" will be released on May 30, 2025 via The Lasting Dose Records.

We're excited to premiere the exciting new video for BENEATH THE ALTAR from the upcoming album ACID GODS.

ACID GODS is due out on CD/DD/Vinyl formats via The Lasting Dose Records from Friday May 30th 2025.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Jan at The Lasting Dose Records / GRIN for all of the details.

Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers GRIN Announce New Album ACID GODS And Release New Single NOCTURNO

With Acid Gods heavy psych-doom outfit GRIN re-establish their unique position on the intersection between modern sludge and stoner doom metal. The intensity of the riffs, the boldness of the vocals, the heaviness of the bass and the detailed crunch of the production. Every GRIN album will have you wondering if this band can get any heavier (or better) and the answer is always YES!

GRIN have just released their epic new single NOCTURNO from the upcoming new album ACID GODS due out on CD/DD/Vinyl formats via The Lasting Dose Records from Friday May 30th 2025.

Line-Up

S. Oberg – Bass Guitar

J. Oberg – Drums, Vocals

Recording Details

All music written and performed by GRIN

Recorded at HIDDEN PLANET STUDIO / Berlin

Produced, mixed and mastered by J. Oberg

Drawings by Dawid M. Piprek

Design & Layout by Caspar Orfgen (DAEVAR)

DAEVAR - Sub Rosa (Album Review)

Release Date: March 28th 2025. Record Label: The Lasting Dose Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Sub Rosa - Tracklisting

1.Catcher in the rye

2.Siren Song 

3.Wishing well 

4.Daughter

5.Mirrors

6.Forgotten Tale

7.FDSMD

Members:

Pardis Latif - Bass Guitar & Vocals Moritz Ermen Bausch - Drums Caspar Orfgen - Guitars

Review

Doom/Grunge/Stoner Rockers Daever are really cooking on gas with their exquisite and beautifully heavy third full length record Sub Rosa which comes a year after their celebrated second album Amber Eyes. Daever have aligned themselves more closely to the Grunge musical cause for this release with the music being influenced by the likes of Alice In Chains and Soundgarden in places. Lead vocalist Pardis Latif is on truly inspired form hitting all the right emotional notes which shines superbly throughout the whole album especially on the excellent opening tracks of Catcher In The Rye and Siren Song.

The first part of the album feels like a mixture of WINDHAND and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS with abstract melodies and subtle Grunge sounds with a sense of dirt, dirge and complete angst hidden within the lyrics. Daevar add a sense of classic FUZZED OUT heaviness which allows their sludge based dynamics to shine through that develops into a collection of all out heavy atmospherics.

Sub Rosa does allow the band to expand their Sonic / Psychedelic delivery which was used sparingly on their previous records but Daever have developed this part of their music into a more important part of their creative arsenal which gives the record an unexpected Spaced Out element. The music is played at a spectacular and aggressive fast-paced at times with Pardis’s bass adding a level of grimy heaviness with Moritz Ermen Bausch’s drumming and Caspar Orfgen’s guitars adding the final powerful slab of destructive sludge force that expands into some outstanding instrumental soundscapes, melodies and grooves that have a life of their own.

Other standout tracks from the album are:  Wishing Well, Daughter, Forgotten Tale and WSMD. 

Sub Rosa is at it’s most strongest when Daever focuses on a primal style of music with intense amounts of classic DOOMED OUT FUZZ with a resemblance to 90’s Alt-Metal, Grunge and Stoner Metal. The sounds can be quite emotional and abstract which sees Daevar having a maturity way beyond their years despite only being together as a band for only three years. It’s simply incredible to see what Daevar has achieved in such a short space of time by releasing three outstanding records in close proximity to each other. However,  each record has been better than the last and that’s quite a hard thing to accomplish.

The record can be quite upbeat and highly emotional when the mood needs this to be with Daevar’s masterful songwriting and storytelling skills being there for everyone to fully experience. With the band teaming up with The Lasting Dose Records and underground mastermind Jan Oberg (Earthship and GRIN) once again on recording, mixing, engineering and mastering duties then is it any wonder why Sub Rosa sounds superb throughout. 

The record has the feel of a classic underground record with the right aspects of wider commercial surroundings that allows Daevar to fully breakout onto bigger and better things with this record alone.

Yeah, Daevar are without doubt one the coolest and highly talented bands to emerge from the Doom/Grunge underground scene in recent years. Sub Rosa is a definitive ALBUM OF THE YEAR contender. No question.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to CZ Promotions for the promo.

Sub Rosa will is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via The Lasting Dose Records

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Cologne Based Grunge/Doom Metallers DAEVAR Announces New Album "Sub Rosa" via THE LASTING DOSE RECORDS

Deavar, the Cologne-based trio, kicks off 2025 with their third album, SUB ROSA, evolving their Doom Grunge sound with melodic uptempo bursts and lo-fi textures. Building on their previous releases, they capture the raw energy of the 2020s with intense and rat-drenched riffs, unapologetic lyrics, and a relentless DIY spirit.

While kicking off 2025 as their third year in their band's history, the Cologne-based trio Daevar announces their third studio album, SUB ROSA. Never slowing down in their musical output and live performances, Daevar continues to redefne their sound in the so called pocket of Doom Grunge. With SUB ROSA, the trio expands their cloudy lo-fi soundscape with fresh invigorating uptempo bursts and bountiful, melodic songwriting.

Building on their previous releases Delirious Rites (2023) and Amber Eyes (2024), Daevar has shaken up the stale pouch of traditional stoner doom structures by capturing the empowering and brutally honest zeitgeist of living in the 20s.

This vibrating, spinning era serves as a catalyst for the swirling melodic riffs and soaring, expansive vocals that defne the seven anthems of SUB ROSA. With Pardis Latif's blunt, unapologetic lyrics addressing crushing inequities, grotesque inhumanity, and the growth of independence—especially inspired by J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye- Caspar Orfgen elevates his riffs to a more frenetic and melodic level, while maintaining his gritty, rat-drenched roots and razor sharp, cutting solo sound. All of this is framed by the Grohl-esque drumming of Moritz, who guides you like a steady, weathered hand through the raw atmosphere of SUB ROSA, capturing the anxiety of the 2020s.

This hook-laden time capsule of SUB ROSA was once again produced and recorded by Jan Oberg at Hidden Planet Studio and released by The Lasting Dose Records. Oberg’s studio has evolved into Berlin's own "Space Needle" for the young trio, which blends the feverish grunge drive of Nirvana with the dark, brooding essence of doom.

This whole project of Daevar performing and writing music is build upon love and compassion to the friendship of Pardis, Moritz and Caspar. It goes without saying that this enthusiasm is fueled by a true workaholic mindset and a strong DIY ethic. While Caspar handles the design of all the striking artwork for their releases and merchandise - Moritz creates the visually arresting and atmospheric video content for the music videos and live visuals, inspired by Pardis' captivating lyrical storytelling and the ethereal, moodsetting, lullaby-like atmosphere the trio crafts with their music.

Teaming up with the booking agency Sound of Liberation in 2023, Deavar played the crème de la crème of genre festivals in 2024, including Freak Valley Festival, Desertfest Berlin & Antwerp, Up In Smoke, Keep It Low, Stoned From the Underground and so on.

They also seized every opportunity to perform in intimate clubs, embarking on an extensive, whirlwind tour and playing their frst international shows. In 2025, Deavar will be hitting the road once again with two European tours and appearances at festivals across the UK, Portugal, Poland, and beyond, further solidifying their reputation as one of the hardest-working and most ambitious acts in the doom pocket.

DISCOGRAPHY:

2023 Daevar - Delirious Rites
2024 Daevar – Amber Eyes
2025 Daevar – Sub Rosa

Line-up:

Pardis Latif - Bass Guitar & Vocals
Moritz Ermen Bausch - Drums
Caspar Orfgen - Guitars

III will is available for pre-order now on DD/Vinyl via The Lasting Dose Records and will be released on March 28th 2025.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Peach Melba - Melting Face (Album Review)

Release Date: October 25th 2024. Record Label: The Lasting Dose Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Melting Face - Track Listing:

1.Intro 02:03

2.Oort Cloud 05:07

3.White Noise 03:55

4.The Drummer 04:20

5.Exit Dream 03:43

6.Gray Hay 04:10

7.Dusty Mush 03:19

8. Melting Face 04:53

9.Spiral Streaming 05:06

Members

Bass & Vocals – Sophie Tritschler

Guitars & Vocals – Sebastian Laudage

Drums, Percussions & Vocals – Moritz Ermen-Bausch (DAEVAR)

Review

Melting Face is the new album from Psych/Garage/Post-Rock/Noise Rock collective Peach Melba and it’s a refreshing change of pace from rising underground label The Lasting Dose Records who normally deal in heavier affair such as GRIN, EARTHSHIP, CAFFEINE and DAEVAR (who drummer Moritz Ermen-Bausch is a member of). 

Peach Melba plays music closely associated with bands such as The Pixies, Ty Segal and bands from the legendary Detroit Garage Rock scene though there’s much to admire at how delicately different and strange the band’s music actually becomes. As they play with a vintage Garage Rock sound with fuzzy dynamics that airs on the cautious side of 1960’s Rock Rebellion and a classic 1970’s Hard Rock sound that allows the album to be quite multi-layered and organic at the same time.

This album doesn’t have a cohesive narrative with Peach Melba just playing whatever they conjure up magically out of thin air even when the melody is bittersweet before changing into a heavier Shoegaze style of music which comes across the whole album especially within the opening tracks of Intro, Oort Cloud, White Noise and The Drummer. 

With each member providing superb vocals, Peach Melba are always striving for a daring sound of their own making which aligns the band more closely to the Punk Rock scene especially with their hardworking creative achievements becoming more gloriously OVER THE TOP on the later stages of the album. I can even detect traces of Stoner Rock when the band switches to a classic style of Psychedelic Rock merged with seedy FUZZY guitars. The band become slightly obsessive wit the 1980’s and 1990’s Alt Rock scene within the heavier parts of Melting Face with an expressive form of Post-Rock and Noise Rock keeping everything grounded within tracks such as: The Drummer, Exit Dream, Dusty Mush and standout title track of Melting Face.

The Lasting Dose Records mastermind Jan Oberg (EARTHSHIP and GRIN) once again helps out with recording, mixing and mastering duties. Jan never disappoints on that score with any of the projects I’ve heard him become part of over the last few years and it’s good to see Jan working on something vastly different to what he’s ultimately known for. 

Melting Face is one of the most fast-paced, freshest and hippest records you’ll hear this year with Peach Melba delivering their own blend of no-nonsense style of Hard Rock that oozes CLASS from start to finish. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to The Lasting Dose Records and Against PR for the promo. 

Melting Face is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via The Lasting Dose Records.

Links

https://www.instagram.com/peachmelba.band

https://youtu.be/jDhesI6uPwA?si=G7wyCRe_N4Pa7d-X

Sludge/Stoner Metallers CAFFEINE Release New Song/Video For DEAD END From Upcoming New Album THE THRESHOLD

CAFFEINE return with a whirlwind of a record that is sure to get you through your day! The Threshold takes cues from Mastodon and High On Fire, and artfully mixes them with lo-fi witch house and psychedelic rock. A true experience of metal in its finest form and a high-energy tornado that will have your pupils dilated and your head spinning!

You can watch their epic new video for DEAD END below via the awesome 666MRDoom YouTube Channel.

Their album "The Threshold“ is now available on vinyl and digitally via The Lasting Dose Records.

Order now: https://thelastingdoserecords.bandcamp.com

Starring: Markus Jassens Video & Production: André Werk

Written & performed by Caffeine

Recorded and mixed by David Deutsch & Justin Felder at 1408 Productions.

Mastered by Jan Oberg at Hidden Planet Studio, Berlin.

Connect with CAFFEINE:

https://www.facebook.com/wearecaffeine 

https://www.instagram.com/we.are.caffeine/ 

https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/0JikVwpXZHbhNcUgkfJKEd?si=VBTS0yAGRzeT0-mnLuF2mQ

Thanks to The Lasting Dose Records for all of the info.

Caffeine - The Threshold (Album Review)

Release Date: September 13th 2024. Record Label: The Lasting Dose Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Threshold: Tracklisting

1.Cycle Of Delusion 04:22

2.The Threshold

3.Rorschach’s Waltz

4.Dead End

5.Last Train

6.Ghost Town

7.Citadel

8.The Agency

Members

Vocals & Bass Swells – Denis Radoncic

Guitars & Noises – Andre Werk

Percussions & Vocals – Enrico “Rocko” Winkler

Guitars & Organs - Sebi

Review

The Threshold is the new album from Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metallers Caffeine which follows on from their excellent 2018 debut album Serac which I missed the first time round and just listened to recently. Both albums continue on the same Progressive trajectory with The Threshold having a more Psychedelic and Sonic twist. Caffeine will appeal to fans of Mastodon, High On Fire and Neurosis with their music blending world-building storytelling and creative mysticism and THRASH metal inspired grooves.

The record is quite short, precise but ultimately action packed, running around thirty minutes of classic sounding Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metal with early touches of Mastodon appearing within the lyrical framework of the whole album. The sound is played at an aggressive fast-paced with a deep sense of melody and Post-Metal intelligence that appears on the stunning opening tracks of Cycle Of Delusion, The Threshold and Rorschach’s Waltz.

Caffeine like the drug they’re named are wonderfully addictive and stimulates other parts of the mind throughout their devilish style of Sludge/Stoner Metal passages that can be quite sonic inducing and Ambient based at times. The whole flow can be quite direct one moment and eerie laidback with overlapping elements of Doom and Post-Rock attitudes before delving back into muscular and testosterone riff-fuelled slabs of pure HEAVY METAL. Caffeine shows a touch of class with their music flirting between Post-Stoner melodies and sludgy hardcore beats on tracks such as Dead End, Ghost Town and The Agency.

The second half of The Threshold is quite abrasive with harsh vocals, punishing grooves and Spaced Out environments that form creatively and naturally with a sense of intelligence that comes as a welcome surprise even if we’ve heard this style of music multiple times before. However, Caffeine has a great talent of their own design and making which left me wanting to hear way more music from them. The album maybe too short for some, however, they pack a lot of great ideas and catchy Sludge Metal dominant sounds throughout.

The Threshold is another outstanding release from The Lasting Dose Records who are making a great name for themselves by releasing a string of first rate releases already this year from bands such as GRIN, EARTH SHIP, DAEVER and HESKEGRAV. Now you can add CAFFEINE to that great list of bands releasing potential contenders for ALBUM OF THE YEAR.

However, this is CAFFEINE’s chance to shine and make a name for themselves within the Sludge/Stoner Metal scene and I can see this album doing great things. As this is an epic and brilliantly observed record with BRAINS and BRAWN to match.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to The Lasting Dose Records and Against PR for the promo.

The Threshold will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via The Lasting Dose Records from Friday 13th September 2024

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Earth Ship - Soar (Album Review)

Release Date: August 02nd 2024. Record Label: The Lasting Dose Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

SOAR: Tracklisting

1.Shallow

2.Soar

3.Ghost Town 

4.Radiant

5.Ethereal Limbo

6.Acrid Haze

7.Bereft 

8.Daze And Delights

Members

Sabine Oberg – Bass

André Klein – Drums

Jan Oberg – Guitars, Vocals

Review

One of Germany’s finest Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal acts Earth Ship return after a six year absence with Soar which sees the band have their closest out-of-body experience with COSMIC DOOM passages within their highly accomplished career. Jan and Sabine have kept themselves busy within that six year time frame by releasing highly acclaimed albums with their other bands Psychedelic Doomsters GRIN and Psychedelic Sludge/Stoner Rockers SLOWSHINE. 

André Klein from SLOWSHINE provides Drums on SOAR and he fits right at home with some epic sounding drum beats throughout the album. Earth Ship may have slightly traded for a more Psychedelic sound compared to their previous albums but this record is still full of majestic Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves which is powered through with steely eyed DOOM METAL determination through Jan’s intense harsh vocals and subtle guitar rhythms.

The opening two tracks of Shallow and Soar set the scene for catchy bursts of aggressive metallic and thuggish instrumental sounds which captures the imagination throughout. There’s some nods to acts such as Mastodon, Baroness and The Ocean but also to the classic sounds of EARTH SHIP down the ages which feels galvanized by familiar Psychedelic and Doomedelic techniques that Jan and Sabine have used to perfection under their GRIN creative persona. 

The sludgy guitars overlap with the Psychedelic textures with a classic style of down-tuned METALLIC based Rock/Metal coming from Sabine’s intense bass guitar especially on the excellent third track Ghost Town. The harsh vocals adds a ferocious intensity to the record with a slow-to-mid pace style of FUZZY guitars that feels like an “intense punch to the gut” when the heavy COSMIC themes appear with a slight area of distortion keeping the atmosphere grounded and very real throughout.

Earth Ship blends Post-Rock atmospherics into the mix on the later stages of Ghost Town which dives right into the opening dynamics of the haunting fourth track Radiant. This track feels like this track could have come from the last GRIN and SLOWSHINE records with its lush sounding Post-Stoner grooves and blissful Psychedelic and Doomgaze attitude. 

The band adopt that Doomgaze creative energy with the second half of the album with Ethereal Limbo allowing Earth Ship fuse that harsh Sludge/Stoner Metal style with exquisite Psychedelic Instrumental Passages and trippy dreamlike vocals that even allows Jan’s angry vocals ample opportunity to shine and dictate the action.

The final three tracks of Acrid Haze, Bereft and Daze And Delights allows Earth Ship to play music that harks back to their roots with that grizzled METALLIC and bombastic Heavy Metal style they first made their names with. The music is constantly evolving into different levels of Sludge/Stoner Metal that can be quite threatening and deafening when the time calls for it.

SOAR is the perfect comeback album for EARTH SHIP to come back to the Sludge/Stoner Metal masses with. This is easily their best album in years and with first rate production values which is once again handled by Jan himself at his famed HIDDEN PLANET STUDIO in Berlin. 

Welcome back EARTH SHIP, you’ve been missed. Be prepared for an album that’s jam packed of outstanding grooves and breathtaking music that will have a timeless quality to them.

Just like GRIN’s new album HUSH, SOAR is a definitive Album Of The Year contender. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to The Lasting Dose Records and CZ Promotions for the promo.

Soar will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via The Lasting Dose Records from Friday August 02nd 2024.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram