Ahab

Ahab is a German doom metal band from Heidelberg, active since 2004. Its lineup includes Daniel Droste, Christian Hector, Stephan Adolph, Cornelius Althammer and Stephan Wandernoth. The group is associated with funeral doom metal, death-doom metal, doom metal, death metal and metal.

Formation and name

The band forms in 2004 around former Midnattsol guitarists Christian Hector and Daniel Droste. It takes its name from Captain Ahab, the character in Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby Dick. The novel also shapes much of the band’s lyrical and thematic material, and some songs include direct quotations from it.

Early releases

Near the end of 2004, the group records its first song, “The Stream”. Its first demo, The Oath, appears in 2005 after several months of rehearsal. It is a limited release of 30 hand-numbered copies and includes “The Stream” along with two new songs and an outro.

Albums and concept material

The band’s first full-length album, The Call of the Wretched Sea, is released on Napalm Records with the help of Stephan Adolph and session drummer Cornelius Althammer. The band then plays a small number of shows in Europe. In 2008, after appearing at Summer Breeze Open Air in Dinkelsbühl, Germany, bassist Stephan Adolph leaves and is replaced by Stephan Wandernoth, who also plays in Dead Eyed Sleeper.

The Divinity of Oceans follows in 2009 and tells the story of the Essex, the American whaleship whose sinking becomes part of the background to Moby Dick. The third studio album, The Giant, appears in 2012 and is based on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. In 2015, the band releases The Boats of the Glen Carrig, a concept album drawn from William Hope Hodgson’s novel of the same name.

Later releases and activity

Ahab releases its first live album, Live Prey, in 2020. The Coral Tombs follows in 2023 and is based on Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. The band has released five studio albums and one live album, and performs across Europe.

Equipment endorsements

The group is endorsed by Framus Guitars, Laboga Guitar Amplifiers, Neunaber Audio and Agner Drumsticks.