Ahab - The Call of the Wretched Sea (2006)

As I am not a person who gets stuck in a particular genre of music, I like to listen to anything that sounds good, and this spectrum ranges from alternative to, well, doom, and in this case what categorizing freaks like to call funeral doom.  

Ahab released this LP not so many years ago and it just goes to show that there is good doom music to be listened to apart from Anathema and My Dying Bride’s first releases.

For the curious ones, I could tell you that this is a concept album that borrows some of its lyrics from  Herman Mellvile’s ’ Moby Dick’, while the bands name takes after the one of the ship's captain. For me this wasn’t so obvious, since I haven’t read Moby Dick, and yet what struck me the most about this album was the fact that it oozes with an oceanic vibe that’s really hard to describe. It literally feels like you’re on a boat miles away from the shore and you battle with the very forces that nature throws at you.

 

Music wise, each song is crushingly heavy, the guitars sound perfect, drenched in reverb, while the production makes me imagine the band playing from somewhere below the water. I tell you, it sounds so fucking good that on the faster parts (and they are pretty fast for a doom release) the whole damn house trembles when I turn up the volume. I’m amazed I haven’t blown any speakers by now, since the windows are certainly mad as hell.

And the best part, that tops even the coherent song strong structures, inhuman vocals and the pure epicness of the guitars, well, the best that this album has to offer are the drums. Because my god, I haven’t heard such imaginative drumming and perfect fills since like, forever, and to do this on a FUNERAL DOOM release?!? You’ll have to listen for yourself because I can’t praise it enough.

 

     Pros: ultra-low vocals, great guitar tones, fantastic drumming

     Cons: while certainly the record has a bass line, the actual bass guitar is rather inaudible

     Highlights:  Below the Sun, Old Thunder

     Rating: 9

    

     Track List:

1. Below the Sun
2. The Pacific
3. Old Thunder
4. Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales
5. The Sermon
6. The Hunt
7. Ahab’s Oath   

P.S: Probably one of the best descriptions Ahab can get was a comment I read on Youtube that said "Whales mosh to this song" (referring to Below the Sun).    
 
P.S 2: I have two more doom recommendations on the way, so stay tuned.