Doomed Confessionary: Jonas & Floris (Drownship)

Hailing from Hamburg, Germany, Drownship emerged onto the post-metal scene in 2018 as a quintet comprising talented members from esteemed bands like Ophis, Todtgelichter, and Caleya.

Their musical prowess and distinctive style quickly garnered attention, culminating in the successful release of their EP »A Dirge To A Carrion Heart« in 2021 via Moment Of Collapse Records and Bloodblast Distribution, receiving acclaim from press and audiences alike.

Following electrifying live shows alongside acts like Thronehammer, Evoken, The Moth, and Ok Wait, Drownship ventured into the studio in February 2023 to craft their debut album, »Tidal Passages«. Working with producer David Deutsch from 1408 Productions and mastering expert Nikita Kamprad of Der Weg Einer Freiheit, the band ensured a sonically immersive journey for listeners. »Tidal Passages« arrives on November 8th, 2024 via These Hands Melt.

Drownship are Jonas Borchers (vocals), Floris Lange van Ravenswaay (guitars), Torsten Radtke (guitars), Edgar Berlies (bass, vocals) and Wolfram Zarnack (drums).

Can you say a few words about your band?
Floris: I would say Drownship has developed a quite unique style. Overall, it’s quite difficult to describe – I think it’s a mixture of post-metal, sludge and progressive elements. But we also have a touch of doom and even black metal.

Our lyrics embody the collapse of society, its consequences and the inner conflict of each individual.
Drownship puts its finger in the bleeding wound of society – this or something similar could be used to describe our lyrical concept.

The band’s name is a wordplay of “drowning” and “fellowship”. So I would describe the band’s name as “fellowship of the drowning” – short: Drownship.

What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Floris: I think the biggest challenge for us so far has been to survive the Covid-19 crisis as a band. You know, we haven’t been around that long and when a young band is not able to perform live, especially in the beginning when it’s important to ignite the flame and go on stage, it’s often hard to keep up the morale and motivation.
I can also say that it was challenging and exciting to get the members on the same page. Some of us come from very different scenes and musical styles, which is also a quality of this band, but it’s often not so easy to find a common denominator. But I think we managed to do that well on »Tidal Passages«.

What can you be most proud of so far?
Floris: I think as a band we can be proud to have stuck with it despite various difficulties in the beginning (line-up changes, Covid-19) and »Tidal Passages« has been the result of hard work, which we are all very proud of.

Personally, I can say that with »Where The Flood Springs« I’m proud to have made a video from start to finish for the first time, editing, directing and putting the finishing touches on it. Be sure to check out the result and decide for yourself.

What was your biggest regret?
Floris: That’s actually a very difficult and personal question. But I like it when interview questions go a bit deeper and don’t just scratch the surface, haha.

At band level: I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a regret, but looking back I think I could have tackled a lot of things earlier. For example – when it became apparent that Todtgelichter would largely retire and I joined Ophis, I already had ideas for Drownship, but I didn’t realize them due to a lack of comrades-in-arms. So there were definitely reasons not to press ahead straight away, but I regret a little that it took longer than planned.

At a personal level: I actually learned piano once – I started when I was 6 – unfortunately an instrument that doesn’t really play a major role in the music I listen to and play, haha. I only started playing the guitar when I was about 15.

So I would have liked to have started playing guitar at the age of 6 – but who knows, maybe everything would have turned out differently and I would never have found my way into metal – who knows.

What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Floris: As we can’t look back on a long band history with Drownship, I can only name a few things so far – but one thing that sticks in my mind is the first show we ever played with Drownship. It’s always special to play first shows anyway, but this one was at the end of Covid, when no shows were possible for a long time and in one of the most important and controversial clubs in Hamburg, the “Rote Flora”. Under very interesting sound conditions and in front of a considerable audience for a first show, there was such an energetic atmosphere that I still remember it very positively today.

What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Jonas: Like, bands we discovered? That’s a tough one. There are just so many nice and talented people you meet out there. Every region has their own, very unique scene, which I think is beautiful! We met so many people already, even as a young and relatively new band. Just the vast amounts of love for the music and the craftsmanship is extremely motivating and surprising in a very positive way!

Floris: What surprised me the most was the development in the music scene, that despite the current very difficult circumstances (inflation, many clubs having to close) there is still quite a thriving underground scene. I hope it stays that way for a long time – we will definitely work to keep the underground torch burning.

What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Jonas: Speaking for me I would say Foxing’s self-titled album, »Stones From The Sky« by Neurosis (man, what a beast of an album) and Fromjoy, who I discovered in December of last year and they just don’t stop amazing me.

Floris: I’m currently finding it quite difficult to get involved with music by other artists. Besides Drownship, I’m still on the road with Ophis and my old band Todtgelichter will also be playing a few gigs again in 2025. So I’m also busy rehearsing for my own bands, doing songwriting and practicing old songs. But when I can take some time off, I like to listen to the odd post(black)metal record or doomy stuff.

Recently, I was very excited about Rană, a crust black metal band from Germany, with whom we played one or two shows with Ophis. Very nice people and their latest record »Richtfeuer« absolutely thrilled me.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Floris: I think I can think of two things off the top of my head. One is a tip that our bass player once gave me when we were in Todtgelichter: “If you ever play the wrong note in one place live – just do it the same way on the next repetition – it’s intentional and therefore not a wrong note, but jazz, haha”.

And the other one is a kind of life motto, which has driven me to make music for a long time – just do it and don’t doubt too much about what might happen. There have been so many situations in which some people would have given up straight away if they had encountered resistance – this has usually only motivated me more to do it anyway and not to fail and give up.

What are your guilty pleasures?
Floris: I think musically it might be bands that don’t particularly fit the mold or whose latest albums are not considered the most popular in the diehard scene.

In my case – I’m a huge Katatonia fan for example and I especially like the albums »The Great Cold Distance« and »Dead End Kings« or bands like Leprous – I love albums like »The Congregation« or »Malina«.

But when it comes to non-music related “guilty pleasures”, I would say – dark chocolate and whisky, haha.

Can you say something more about the current music scene in Hamburg?
Floris: I would say that there is fortunately still an underground culture here in Hamburg. Unfortunately, a few clubs have fallen victim to the developments after Covid-19 and inflation – but there was, for example, a rescue operation for a very important underground club in Hamburg – the “Hafenklang” – which made it clear that the underground is there and supports it. Within a few hours, the club raised the amount needed to save it and even more.

That makes us very happy. By the way, we’ll be playing at Hafenklang in Hamburg on 08.11.2024 (with Abest and Royal Scum) – a good opportunity for you all to visit this great club!

Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Floris: We have planned a small tour through Germany and Luxembourg with the “Descent Into Void Tour”, which will take place from November 8 – 16, 2024.
Beyond that, we are of course open to further requests and would be happy to get around a bit more.

What are your plans for the future as a band?
Floris: First of all, we are very happy that we can go on a short album release tour with »Tidal Passages« as mentioned above. As soon as the tour is over, we’ll get back to songwriting – to be honest, we’ve already jammed the first ideas and are keen to develop them further.

Apart from that, we would like to perform more live beyond the tour. So if you want to book us for 2025 – drop us a line!

How can people best support your band?
Floris: These days, I think the best support is to come to the local, small gigs, buy merchandise through the bands, buy records and support small DIY shows in general.
We’re all in the same boat really – the boat of the underground. And the more listeners, metaphorically speaking, put their money on the big cruise ships, the sooner the underground will die.

Do you have any message for your listeners?
Floris: Check out »Tidal Passages« and join us on the “Descent Into Void” tour 2024.

We look forward to seeing you!

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well