Eight years after The Boats of Glenn Carrig, oceanic mammoths Ahab return with an album that finally takes inspiration from one of the first and favourite books I read as a kid: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. All the virtues of the band are as lustrous as ever in The Coral Tombs, which communicates their experience and comfort at top-notch, unique doom metal that is barely limited in strict genres.
It kicks off with the most unusual Ahab introduction that has even been heard, the heavily ominous “Prof. Arronax’ Descent into the Vast Oceans” which features guest vocals by Chris Noir of Ultha. The song quickly finds port in more orderly, slow paced woeful melodies on clean vocals, and there is no more turbulence in the record. Classic gloomy atmosphere set in through the short tracks of The Coral Tombs, as the imposing riffs of “Colossus of the Liquid Graves” and “Mobilis in Mobili” comprise the more distinct, memorable moments of the album. On its latter part is where Ahab takes on prolonged compositions, where more space is created for the full growth of this band’s music and ideas grow as it progresses.
“The Sea as a Desert” is one of the highlight, but also the closing number “The Mælstrom” (featuring the singer of Esoteric) also stands out for the great guitar lines of its darker side and the less linear drumming of its first half. The self-titled track and “Ægri Somnia”, as the rest of the album, hold close the imprint of the band and their recipe: heavier doses of almost funeral doom metal (not anymore) with melodic, slow paced cleaner passages, deep growls and cleans in all tracks.
Yet, Ahab’s successful presence stems from other factors too apart from the great music: excellent storytelling and characteristic, personal sound. The Coral Tombs has the distinct highlights: great flow, powerful musicianship, engaging atmosphere, and amazing addition of guest vocals by Ultha and Esoteric. Ahab was away for too long!
DAMAGE: 4/5
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