Metal has so many sub-genres that it can be difficult to keep track. One of my favorites is doom, and with in that, nautical themed doom. Certainly themed albums or concept albums have been a thing for a long time in the music world, but I find it fascinating when bands wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to a theme. Nautical doom, while certainly sometimes just a theme that a band can try for an album or two, has at times been the whole focus for certain bands. I'm always on the search for more albums and bands, but here you'll find some of the good ones I've found so far.
What was important when selecting for this list was the impression and feeling I got when listening to the album. If it reminded me of the ocean, was doomy and dark, and had some reference somehow to the ocean, it could have made the list. I understand that some people might disagree or think a particular album is not themed enough. The thing is, this is such a specific genre, that there isn't a lot out there that I've found. But, what is out there is super interesting and worth thinking about.
In no particular order... here are my favorite nautical doom albums
Ahab
The Call of the Wretched Sea
Ahab's
Call of the Wretched Sea was the first nautical doom band and alum I heard of. The genre is printed right on the side of the case! "Nautical Funeral Doom". I was captivated. When I put it in, I was hooked quite quickly. The sound is super heavy, like a wall of ocean, and the music can suck you in. The band is from Germany and since releasing
Call of the Wretched Sea, they've released a few more albums, all of which stick to the nautical themes. I still find that I prefer
The Call of the Wretched Sea, but they have been consistent with their sound and their other releases are well worth a listen for any doom fan. Fans of Moby Dick will enjoy the constant nods to the literary classic throughout the music, besides the obvious one in the band's title.
Graves at Sea
The Curse That Is
Graves at Sea, with a name like that, I include them with my nautical doom section of my music collection. They don't seem to be as strictly nautical as some of the other bands or albums on this list, but have enough songs that fit the theme for me. They're from Arizona and Oregon, and I first heard of them through a split they did with Asunder, which is awesome. I saw Asunder live, wanted some of their music, found the split in a quirky music store that has since gone out of business (RIP) and then was quite excited when I heard about the full length,
The Curse that Is. It's a solid album through and through, reminded me somewhat of Ahab. It's heavy and doomy and sure to please any fan of sludgy doom.
Adrift For Days
The Lunar Maria
A psychadelic doom band from Australia, Adrift for Days captured my attention with
The Lunar Maria. In actuality, they may not be so ocean themed throughout their music, but I sure get the feeling of being out in the middle of the ocean with no help in sight when I listen to their music. It goes from mellow and serene to dramatic and intense, and everywhere in between. Since finding them on bandcamp, I've kept up and been ordering their albums as they are released. Good stuff.
Sea Witch
The Blackened Sea
This Canadian two piece, Sea Witch, truly is nautical themed and doomy as hell. I've only recently come across them, but so far have been impressed. I've listed here their full length, but they've also done splits with other bands. All the songs are solidly nautical themed and the band gets loud, especially for a two piece.
Grond
Howling From the Deep
Another solidly dedicated nautical themed doom band, Grond has another album called
Worship the Kraken. Initially I was not as into this band, but their sound grew on me quickly. I had to get into the vocals, which are a little more forward in the mix compared to my usual tastes. But, it's not a distraction and I did find myself listening to this album repeatedly after making the purchase. They are from Moscow, Russia and admittedly, are probably the first Russian metal band in my collection. Definitely check out.
Shipwreck A.D.
Abyss
I bought this album out of a discount CD bin at a local record store and found myself really enjoying it. I didn't know what to expect, but am the kind of music collector that's willing to take a chance that looks interesting. The album has a dark and doomy nautical feel throughout, and it's heavy stuff. When I looked up info on the album I found Shipwreck A.D. listed as being similar to a bunch of bands I don't usually care for (punk, hardcore), which surprised me. Maybe that means they'd not want to be on the kind of list I'm constructing here. Who knows. Anyway, I like 'em and hope they keep producing music along these lines.
Mastodon
Leviathan
While not necessarily a doomy band or a nautical themed band, this list could not be complete without possibly the best nautical themed metal album ever made. Leviathan. Based loosely on
Moby Dick, this album changed how I listen to metal. The first time I heard it, I thought, no way. I had a friend that was insistent that I give it another try and we blasted it throughout his house that day. I needed more. Now Mastodon is one of my favorite bands, period. They do a lot of different stuff across their discography, something for every kind of metal fan. This album delivers for the nautical metal fan, and might I even say it... it's pretty doomy. Enjoy.
So, that's all I've got for now in the sub, sub-genre of nautical doom. Check it out, let me know what you think. If you have nautical doom albums in your collection that you think could fit on this list, let me know in the comments below. Rock on.
-Jason
