The Divinity of Oceans sees German funeral doom pioneers Ahab expanding their nautical-themed sound with a more melodic, atmospheric and progressive approach, drawing inspiration from the tragic 1820 sinking of the whaling ship Essex. Built around enormous downtuned riffs, glacial tempos, cavernous growls and haunting clean vocal passages, the album creates an overwhelming atmosphere of isolation, despair and maritime devastation. Tracks such as "Yet Another Raft of the Medusa (Pollard's Weakness)," "O Father Sea" and "Gnawing Bones (Coffin's Lot)" showcase the band's ability to balance crushing funeral doom with melancholic melodies, delicate guitar passages and expansive atmospheric arrangements. The storytelling explores the horrors of shipwreck, starvation, cannibalism and the psychological deterioration of the surviving crew, giving the music a particularly bleak and cinematic quality. Epic, emotionally devastating and beautifully oppressive, this is an essential nautical funeral doom release that further establishes Ahab as one of the genre's most distinctive acts.

Release year: 2009
Label: Napalm Records