Review Summary: Drown in despair and anger. Ahab hunts the Whale and takes you on a trip where colossal beasts and waves will crush you.
“Drink, ye harpooneers! drink and swear, ye men that man the deathful whaleboat's bow -- Death to Moby Dick! God hunt us all, if we do not hunt Moby Dick to his death!"
These famous words are the best introduction for this review I can think of.
I think we all know the story of Moby Dick, if not: Moby Dick is a huge whale and Captain Ahab wants to hunt down Moby Dick at any cost.
Three Germans, obsessed with this story made a concept album about this and with a dramatic story like that you’re guaranteed to have good time. The only remaining question is, which genre would fit the best for an album about this story? In this case it’s funeral doom. An excellent genre to express the feel of the story. Slow and brooding like an approaching thunderstorm. Dark and mysterious as the depths of the ocean. Massive, slow, merciless and all devouring as the beast: Moby Dick.
The album contains 7 tracks and takes you on a sea journey that lasts 67 minutes(!).
Not an album for those of short temper. The name of the tracks leave no room for doubt, this is the story about the beast of the ocean. Each song clocks in at ten minutes plus, except for one song which lasts 9:54 and one interlude song that lasts for 1:46. The album starts off with a very eerie riff, the atmosphere of sea is immediately present.
After a while the massive sound of Ahab is shown to the listener and you know you’re in for a tough ride. The guitars create an inescapable, pitch black wall of sound, with the occasional eerie lead guitar line over that. The vocals seem to come from the depth of the ocean itself. You won’t hear many vocalists go as low as this guy. Truly the voice of a massive beast. Ahab also uses keyboards to lay down an even denser wall of sound and this works out great. Slow and massive, but always with the eerie, brooding atmosphere.
Even the drums on this album seem to be lower than usual. Everything about this album breathes heaviness and feels colossal. The approach that these fine sailors have is very unique though, it doesn’t sound like any funeral doom album I’ve heard before.
If you’re looking for the soundtrack for a film about horror from the depths of the sea, look no further.
Ahoy sailors!
Death to Moby Dick!
God hunt us all, if we do not hunt Moby Dick to his death!
4,5/5
