Isn't that a plus for you?
Yes and no. It could’ve been nice to see a little more variety, but at the same stroke, TCOTWS has their best material overall, and as this is their first live outing, better play it safe with the songs most people associate with Ahab.
 
New Ahab album is coming out next year! When I made this thread back in 2018 they had gone into the studio to write a record about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea but it took until this year for it to come together. They’ll be debuting two of its songs live in November. Very excited for this, I’ve just spun The Boats of the Glen Carrig again and man that’s a cracking album.

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So I decided in March of last year to take the information about Ahab that I uncovered and the song breakdowns that I was working on in this thread and turn them into a website. A year and a half later, I’m very happy to announce that Below the Sun is now open! It’s in V1 stages and I’d like to continue building it whenever I get a spare moment. Also new song is dropping tomorrow which I shall be adding to the site when it does.

I know the Ahab fans on this board are few and far between but maybe some of y’all will enjoy what I’ve assembled. As I said, there’s still more growing to do and we shall see how this site evolves with time.
 
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Ahab - The Coral Tombs
Release date: January 13, 2023

1. “Prof. Arronax’ Descent into the Vast Oceans”
2. “Collosus of the Liquid Graves”
3. “Mobilis in Mobili”
4. “The Sea as a Desert”
5. “A Coral Tomb”
6. “Ægri Somnia”
7. “The Maelstrom”

Boy oh boy oh boy. First off: that cover art is glorious. Secondly: I can’t believe it’s finally coming. That tracklist do be looking mighty fine yo!

First song has already been released:


The opening is completely different from anything Ahab have done before. They thrust you immediately into a black metal hellscape as the Abraham Lincoln is struck by the Nautilus and Arronax and Conseil go overboard. Then they switch gears entirely as the two sink into the deep, making for a really melodic sound before the doom comes in just as the Nautilus rescues them. You even get Captain Nemo’s introduction before the outro! I doubt this will become one of my very favorites from them, but boy does it do a go job with what it sets out to do, and I’m sure it’ll sound even better in the context of the album. Ahab continue to sound fresh, moving into new hemispheres as their career continues.
 

New song from the upcoming album! Much more of a trad doom vibe here, and it’s the to-date shortest track the band has written. Squids abound! Better song than “Prof. Arronax” and the stop motion music video is pretty cool.
 

Final video, released the same day as the album itself. This one is easily the best of the three singles and I wish it was longer.

I've listened through the full record once so far. It's gonna take a few listens to get into I feel. It's very slow, even for Ahab, and the production is... not nearly as good as The Boats of the Glen Carrig, which sounded amazingly warm and colorful. This one is drab and I'm hoping that the CD or vinyl have better sound quality than the digital version. Nothing bad here, but time will tell if this is just another Ahab album or if there's some truly special within.
 
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