Funeral doom is a subsection of doom metal that is arguably the most stringent in all of heavy metal, and here to curate your introduction to the style is a master of it himself — Ahab guitarist Christian Hector.
Pioneered by bands such as Thergothon, Skepticism, Evoken, Esotetic and the appropriately named Funeral, this style is (generally) driven by unrelentingly slow tempos, sonorous growled vocals (sometimes accompanied and/or countered by pained clean singing), sustained down-tuned guitar chords and, at times, densely atmospheric keyboards and choirs.
Although these hallmarks don't appear to offer a lot of stylistic wiggle room, it's one many of the aforementioned artists, alongside the likes of early entrants dISEMBOWELMENT and the mid-2000s arrival of Germany's Ahab, have been keen on tinkering with, all while maintaining that foundation of aching paces fraught with despair.
The Call of the Wretched Sea, Ahab's debut record, was quickly hailed as a genre classic. Now, eight years removed from their fourth album, The Boats of the Glen Carrig, the quartet has finally returned to the dock, this time with The Coral Tombs, a seven-track/66-minute journey that finds Ahab charting new musical territory as they again expand the scope of their self-branded "nautik doom."
Hector, Ahab's co-founder alongside vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Daniel Droste, is an ideal guide to ferry you into the distant, fog-smeared lands of funeral doom with his list below of the 5 Best Albums to Introduce You to Funeral Doom.
Just make sure you hit play and listen to Ahab's song "Colossus of the Liquid Graves" while you scope out the list!
Set sail now with 'The Coral Tombs' (out on Napalm Records) and buy your copy on vinyl or CD. Follow Ahab on Instagram, Facebook and Spotify. Follow Loudwire's 'Ultimate Funeral Doom' playlist on Spotify.
Ahab, "The Colossus of the Liquid Graves" Music Video
