Abu Lahab is an

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

project based in Morocco. It takes its name from Abū Lahab, meaning "Father of Flame", who is recognized in Islamic tradition as one of the most prominent leaders in the

Quraysh tribe The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qur ...

Banu Hashim ) , type = Qurayshi Arab clan , image = , alt = , caption = , nisba = al-Hashimi , location = Mecca, Hejaz Middle East, North Africa, Horn of Africa , descended = Hashim ibn Abd Manaf , parent_tribe = Qu ...

and paternal uncle to the prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

. Because of the nihilistic and anti-Islamic themes present in his oeuvre, the composer behind Abu Lahab has chosen to remain unidentified. Active since 2000, the project bridges dark ambient,

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

and

drone music Drone music, drone-based music, or simply drone, is a minimalist genre that emphasizes the use of sustained sounds, notes, or tone clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmon ...

to create nightmarish soundscapes. His three full-length albums, '' Humid Limbs of the Torn Beadsman'' (2012), '' Supplications of the Last Gyrosophist'' (2013) and ''Tungasht'' (2018), were met with enthusiasm by parts of the musical community.

History

Between his beginnings in 2000 and first official releases in 2010, the composer of Abu Lahab's music worked under various pseudonyms. Starting in 2007, he began issuing a number of demo releases under the name Abu Lahab, including ''The Black Shrine'', ''Altered Cult'', ''When the Face of the Lord Is Split Asunder'', ''Conversi ad Dominum'' and ''He Who Is Illuminated with the Brightest Light Will Cast the Longest Shadow''. He continued to expand his sound with the mini-albums ''As Chastened Angels Descend Into the Thoracic Tombs'' and ''Moths From the Silver Reich'', which showcased his

sound collage In music, montage (literally "putting together") or sound collage ("gluing together") is a technique where newly branded sound objects or compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as montage. This is often done throug ...

compositional style and unique use of sampling. The extended play '' We Beheld the Last Contraction of the Seraph'' marked his first official release in February 2012. Focusing on harsh dissonance, the music attempted to mix the seemingly incongruous elements of

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

, dark ambient,

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

and

noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise within a musical context. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical ...

into a cohesive whole. Abu Lahab's full-length debut album '' Humid Limbs of the Torn Beadsman'' followed in August 2012 and was seen by some as his masterpiece. The music was less aggressive than his previous release, but nonetheless continued to marry

musique concrete Musique is the French word for music. Musique may also refer to: Music *Musique (disco band), a 1970s studio band produced by Patrick Adams *Musique, a British dance act consisting of Moussa Clarke and Nick Hanson best known for their 2001 song ...

and

industrial music Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...

with his already cacophonous sound. On July 12, 2013, he released his second album '' Supplications of the Last Gyrosophist''. The music was less aggressive and more experimental in contrast to his previous work, beginning a trajectory towards a more percussive and beat driven sound. Another EP, titled ''

Of Heliotaxis and Cosmic Knifing ''Of Heliotaxis and Cosmic Knifing'' is an EP by Abu Lahab, independently released on October 14, 2013. Quotes from Nico's ''Desertshore'' album serve as appendixes for ''Of Heliotaxis and Cosmic Knifing'', with samples of "Le petit chevalier" us ...

'', followed in October of that year and contained samples of Nico's 1970 ''

Desertshore ''Desertshore'' is the third studio album by German musician Nico. It was released in December 1970 on the Reprise label. Recording ''Desertshore'' was co-produced by John Cale and Joe Boyd. Unlike its predecessor ''The Marble Index'' it incor ...

'' album. After four years of inactivity, ''Amhdaar'' was released on October 25, 2017 and featured two long-form compositions. A new full-length album, titled ''Tungasht'', was released digitally on June 9, 2018.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' Humid Limbs of the Torn Beadsman'' (2012) *'' Supplications of the Last Gyrosophist'' (2013) *''Tungasht'' (2018) ;Extended plays *'' We Beheld the Last Contraction of the Seraph'' (2012) *''

'' (2013) *''Amhdaar'' (2017) ;Demos *''The Black Shrine'' (2007) *''Altered Cult'' (2008) *''Moths From the Silver Reich'' (2010) *''Conversi ad Dominum'' (2010) *''When the Face of the Lord Is Split Asunder'' (2010) *''He Who Is Illuminated with the Brightest Light Will Cast the Longest Shadow'' (2011) *''As Chastened Angels Descend Into the Thoracic Tombs'' (2011)

References

External links

Abu Lahab
at

Last.fm Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Using a music recommender system called "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm builds a detailed profile of each user's musical taste by recording details of the tracks the user listens to, e ...

Abu Lahab
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Lahab Musical groups established in 2000 Avant-garde metal musical groups Black metal musical groups Dark ambient music groups Experimental musical groups Experimental rock groups Industrial music groups Noise musical groups Moroccan heavy metal musical groups