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When author Herman Melville penned his infamous novel Moby Dick back in 1851 he had no way of knowing it would become a deep, dark well of inspiration for future generations of artists. Case in point with the German doom metal band AHAB, who have created a unique soundtrack for what is an undeniably unique story. Named after the novels tyrannical ship captain, AHAB give Melvilles words musical form, capturing the tension and mood bleeding off the pages and bringing his revered tale to life.
AHAB is the brainchild of MIDNATTSOL members Christian Hector (guitars) and Daniel Droste (vocals/guitars/keyboards) and former Endzeit-guitarist Stephan Adolf (bass, vocals), and while its no surprise to find musicians in an established band trying their hand at another form of music the choice of Moby Dick as a subject for an album is unusual.
Well, the book is the best inspiration for a doom band like Ahab, says Hector. I like the dark atmosphere of the film, but the book shows the tragedy of a man's mind even better. That's what inspired us the most. I've read the book twice in German and at the moment I'm reading the english version."
Not only have AHAB immortalized a classic book in song, they have the distinction of being one of the few noteworthy German doom metal bands in existence today. No bombast, no commercial MTV flavour-of-the-week aspirations, no holds barred. AHABs debut album, The Call Of The Wretched Sea, is straightforward funeral doom metal that will appeal to fans of revered veterans of the genre such as MORGION and SHAPE OF DESPAIR and to people looking for something beyond the realms of the prefabricated, commercially acceptable aggression that many so-called metalheads find appealing in this day and age.
Forging onward from their initial demo, The Oath, AHAB have become darker, heavier and more atmospheric with time. Combined with the expected distortion-heavy doom metal dirge and brutal vocals are a death metal vibe in the spirit of old AMORPHIS, Gregorian-like clean vocal chants and short melodic interludes that complete a unique and ultimately hellish soundtrack to Melvilles tale of madness. And for those who expect MIDNATTSOL-influenced folk metal elements to trickle down through The Call Of The Wretched Sea, guess again; this is a different ship going in a very different direction.
Hector: "Funeral doom for me is a kind of atmosphere, not only musically but lyrically as well. What makes this music attractive is the sheer brutality and heaviness of it - yet there are still many melodies in it. And of course it's a big counterpart to MIDNATTSOL artistically. I couldn't imagine playing similar music in two different bands. It's a totally different approach to music and writing."
www.ahab-doom.de
Carl Begai (Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles)
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