Nautical literature sure makes for fantastic metal outputs. Look no further than Mastodon‘s Leviathan or Ahab‘s entire discography – the suffocating instrumentation alone translates very well the unnerving uncertainty and blood-curling urgency that’s commonly attributed to such a literary genre. Swiss instrumental post-metal act Fall Of Leviathan, a band described as ‘a blend of Mogwai and Neurosis‘, is keen on this fact, further contributing the legacy of this sonic niche with their forthcoming debut album In Waves, and Everything Is Noise is excited to premiere its latest single “Ahkab” – an expansive voyage into the decaying mind of Captain Ahab from Herman Melville‘s canonical Moby-Dick novel.
Regarding the single, the band comments:
‘There you’ll share the sinister fate of Captain Ahab who, blinded by his madness and obsession for the Leviathan, sank to the depths of the ocean, swept away by the great white whale. Whether it is his character or the echo he leaves in these notes, he teaches us that revenge, whatever the reason, pushes us towards the eternal loss of our soul.‘
Rounding up to eleven minutes in length, “Ahkab” is a juggernaut of a track that effectively illustrates the weight of the descent into obsessive madness and its aftermath through carefully-composed arrangements that range from pummeling to sedative, though all equally consuming. The auditory push-and-pulls throughout it (pristinely captured by a vigorous production) leave you with the feeling of searching for a grasp and coming into realization that you’re ultimately adrift, constantly being swept by the currents of both gargantuan rhythm sections and lulling ambient melodies.
The overall sound of “Ahkab” additionally goes beyond the retelling of Ahab’s demise, as it also paints a broader picture of the allure and terror of the open seas, and the dichotomous nature of humanity itself, beautifully stated by the novel’s author and included on the video accompanying the song. Indeed, the musical dynamics that Fall Of Leviathan employ in this song is telling of how immense the record is shaping up to be.
In Waves, an album ‘inspired by nautical themes and the abyssal’, will be released on March 1st through Vitruve Records and is available for preorder on Bandcamp. If you like what you hear, make sure to follow their Instagram and Facebook pages for any future updates!
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