Sounds of the Abyss – A Musical Journey in Search of “Moby Dick.” The Influence of Herman Melville’s Novel in Mastodon’s Album "Leviathan"

Abstract

The article analyses how Mastodon’s album Leviathan interprets Melville’s Moby Dick, treating the songs as a form of musical ekphrasis. The lyrics reference both the plot and themes of the novel, as demonstrated through specific verses and their literary inspirations. Influences from Milton’s Paradise Lost reveal that the album’s exploration of madness is dominated by themes of evil – embodied by Lucifer and Captain Ahab, who, in his rebellion and desire for revenge, confronts Moby Dick as an ambivalent symbol of malevolence. The white whale represents an ancient, terrifying entity, while the ocean becomes its locus terribilis. Thus, Mastodon’s album not only captures the terror and depth of the Melville’s novel, but also becomes part of a narrative immersed in the world of literature.