Artist: Ahab
Title: The Coral Tombs
Genre: Funeral Doom
Release Date: 13th January 2023
Label: Napalm Records
Album Review
It has been a long time since we heard of AHAB, eight years to be painfully precise. The Funeral Doom kings from Heidelberg, Germany have finally assembled seven lamentations filled with agonizing sadness and a depth worthy of the Mariana trench. The German four-piece have earned their sea legs in 2006 with their first full-length sailor’s yarn called ‘The Call Of the Wretched Sea’. As many of you may know AHAB is a band that has an obsession with the ocean and nautical stories (hence my foolish attempts at puns about the sea). AHAB, as avid readers know, is the fanatic captain of the whaling ship ‘Pequod’ in the book ‘Moby Dick’. AHAB’s only life purpose left is to find and kill the white whale Moby Dick who crippled him for life.
Why do I tell you this? Because the debut of AHAB revolved around exactly this story. ‘The Coral Tombs’ is a concept album once again and this time the story of ‘20,000 Leagues Under The Sea’ by Jules Verne is told. It is a mystery to me how a story, or multiple stories set in 1800s can be adequately told by mixing clean singing and Death Metal growls but I assure you that it makes sense as soon as you press play and start listening to anything of these guys. The soundscapes seem endless, hopeless yet seductive and soothing (like drowning in water that is so cold that it kills you by freezing to death before actually filling your lungs with icy water, I guess). If this record would have arrived a month or two earlier it would surely be one of the twenty best records of the year, as it is it will be one of 2023s finest. If there is one Funeral Doom band to check out in January, it surely should be AHAB!
Tracklist
01. Prof. Arronax’ Descent Into The Vast Oceans
02. Colossus Of The Liquid Graves
03. Mobilis in Mobili
04. The Sea As A Desert
05. A Coral Tomb
06. Ægri Somnia
07. Mælstrom
Line-up
Cornelius Althammer – Drums & Percussion
Daniel Droste – Vocals & Guitar
Christian Hector – Guitar
Stephan Wandernoth – Bass
Website
www.ahab-doom.de / www.facebook.com/AhabDoom
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 10
Total: 10 / 10
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