Ahab - The Boats of the Glen Carrig (2015)^{Release ID: 6533}

The Boats of the Glen Carrig is a survival horror novel written in 1907 by William Hope Hodgson, set in the early 18th century. In the novel the author purports to be one of several survivors of the sinking of the ship The Glen Carrig, who were cast adrift onto the open sea in two lifeboats and were confronted by monstrous creatures as they fought for survival. Ahab's fourth album is a concept album based upon the novel and continues the band's obsession with all things nautical.
They have developed their sound from the days of the phenomenal debut, The Call of the Wretched Sea and now feature more of a contrast between dark and light passages than the debut's unrelentingly bleak funeral doom. Boats.. owes as much to death doom as funeral doom and is consequently more uptempo in pacing than TCotWS at times. It also features several clean passages, both vocally and musically, that derive from post-metal outfits like Isis, that serve as contrast to the heavier, darker sections, throwing them into sharp relief and act as the narrator's conduit to the listener. TBotGC is a step up from it's predecessor, The Giant, which I felt had moved too far away from the crushing heaviness of the first two albums to inhabit a more accessible, post-metal landscape. Boats, however is a satisfying meeting of that clean, lighter sound, the debilitating, deep-sea pressure of the band's take on funeral doom and pacier, yet still supremely heavy, death doom.
The Isle sets the scene with a gentle, clean intro as the narrator, a passenger named Winterstraw, begins telling how the survivors have been adrift for five days after the sinking of the Glen Carrig, before erupting into an ominously foreboding passage of malignant death doom as land, in the form of the ill-starred isle, is approached by the unfortunate seamen, strange weeping cries emanating from it. The Thing That Made Search follows a similar structure, with a vocally and musically clean beginning as the narrator now tells of the sailors' rising fear, before Daniel Droste's voice changes to that of a growling demon and the monster riff kicks in as the lifeboats and their trembling human cargo are sought out and examined by some many-tentacled Lovecraftian horror. The track slows to a crawl in it's dying moments as the creature withdraws and sinks back into the depths.
Like Red Foam (The Great Storm) builds on the thundering riffs that went before and ups the pacing as a mighty, supernatural storm batters the ill-fated sailors. Red Foam is a song that could easily have come from a classic-era Opeth album, exhibiting the same songwriting skill and musical chops that Mikael Akerfeldt employed to devastating effect aroung the turn of the Millenium. Ahab return to their roots for the beginning of The Weedmen as the slowest section of the album oozes through the listener's inner ear with a slab of glacially-paced funeral doom, the sailors are washed up on the unnamed island and realise it is the home of the hideous Weedmen, the music invoking the mounting, unbearable fear and dread they feel as they come under attack.
To Mourn Job then returns to the structure of the first two tracks with alternating gently sorrowful clean sections and thunderous death doom passages as the narrator describes the aftermath and the sailors perform funeral rites and mourn the loss of one of their number, a young lad named Job, during the attack of the monstrous creatures.
Most versions, except the original jewel case CD, have a sixth track, The Light in the Weed (Mary Madison), which serves as a kind of epilogue, telling of the fate of the titular Mary Madison, wife of the captain of the doomed Glen Carrig. Now, seven years later and unable to deal with what she saw and felt she has become hopelessly lost, drink her only solace in a world that can hold such horrors, the track filled with melancholy and sadness for those affected, yet with also with a hopeful message that if one holds steadfast then you can deal with any "seas so grave".
I still hold The Call of the Wretched Sea in the highest regard as Ahab's best, but this is not so far behind, a beautifully crafted musical rendition of a classic horror tale that is expressive and subtle whilst still retaining the ability to crush with powerful and irresistibly heavy, doom-laden riffs. Ahab are one of the most accomplished of all funeral doom outfits with a songwriting prowess seldom bettered in the genre.

Much like the bands namesake, The Boats of the Glen Carrig is a seafaring horror novel that Ahab has created as incidental music to the 1907 novel. And wow does it really live up to its predecessor because this album can get pretty haunting at times.

This is death doom metal with elements of progressive rock and/or post-rock/metal interludes that really help encapsulate the feeling of being all alone on the water and the abandonment that one would feel upon shipwreck with no one around to guide or help them. The progressive sections are beautifully encapsulating of the moments of calm that one might feel when they are attempting to return to a stable state of mind, only to become engulfed once again in the fear and anxiety of a nightmare that feels like it is strangling you.

Unsurprisingly, the first thing that I thought of before I gave this album a listen was Mastodon's 2004 album, Leviathan, considering that they are built around similar concepts. And to be fair to Ahab, there are several similarities in the songwriting techniques used on this album as Mastodon's epic. Such as the invaluable importance of the guitar as melodic instrument, the fruitful bass and powerful vocal delivery. Unlike Leviathan, this album is long and it feels like it, and it's supposed to. The fear of isolation is so pulsating on this album that you start to question when salvation will finally come and rescue you and return to your life as it was before.

My criticisms of this album are few and far between, but they are significant critiques. For one, the vocalists low end is powerful, but it does sound a little too much like the Cookie Monster. And he alternates between the deep low gutturals to a more aggressive screams and there is just no comparison between the two. Also, the album is long. I said that it is a large part of this albums appeal, but some of these songs could have been cut down and given the same emotional impact, otherwise, the tracks could have been split up, making for a more streamlined experience.

Ahab's epic is a pretty damn great album in the death doom library. The atmosphere fits the source material extremely well, as well as the lyrical content. This album may hit you like the weight of the sea as it did the Glen Carrig. But the trip is worth the emotional roller-coaster that is displayed within.