Albums•November 29, 2011•14,158 views

Pelican The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw

1. Last Day of Winter 2. Autumn Into Summer 3. March Into the Sea 4. [untitled] 5. Red Ran Amber 6. Aurora Borealis 7. Sirius

2005 Hydra Head Records

Our score 9

by Ash Levitt

8/4/2005

Only a handful of bands are capable of writing full, cohesive albums. More times than not, a typical offering by any band in the heavy music scenes is nothing more than a collection of songs (if even that), that are loosely held together by pathetic instrumental or noisy passages that shouldn't be in the recording in the first place. The end result is similar to a child's school art project; a ridiculous mess of macaroni haphazardly held together by too much Elmer's glue. On the other hand, when a band truly does create an album that is one solid entity, not only is it immediately noticeably better than other albums, but it has the power to last much longer that its peers and ultimately be remembered as a classic recording that is listened to continuously through instead of for a killer track or two. With their newest full-length, The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw, Pelican just may have accomplished this rare feat. It's a shame that Pelican are usually lumped into the same vein as bands like Isis and Neurosis just because they are similar stylistically (slowness, heaviness, etc.); Pelican are a different breed than the previously mentioned bands, and definitely offer something different musically on this newest release. While their first self-titled EP had the same crushingly heavy feel of Isis or Neurosis, their last full-length Australasia, though still similar, started to change somewhat. Things weren't as constantly heavy, and a distinctive sound was beginning to emerge. The March to the Sea EP, especially thanks to the Justin Broadrick remix, certainly began to show the creative direction in which Pelican was headed, and further separated the group from lazy comparisons of other like-minded groups. The newest offering is even one (or a dozen) steps further than previous releases. The Fire in Our Throats will now allow people to say, "That band sounds like Pelican," instead of the other way around. Containing seven tracks (four longer tracks and three shorter ones) The Fire in Our Throats is absolutely epic from beginning to end. Even though much of the overt heaviness is gone when compared to their previous releases, Pelican still makes the quiet moments seem powerful and intense much the way Red Sparowes or newer Neurosis does. The longer tracks (including a version of March to the Sea that is somewhat shorter than the EP version) tend to retain much of the characteristic instrumental heaviness that Pelican has become known for, though it is now more interspersed by acoustic parts and slightly faster tempos. The shorter songs are generally lighter in feel being more acoustic than distorted electric, though again, nothing is lost in terms of intensity or sheer power. Many different musical influences can now also be heard in the lengthy passages of Pelican's songs. For instance, certain parts of the song "Autumn Into Summer" sound uncannily like HUM. Bottom Line: Pelican have indeed created something special with The Fire in Our Throats. They have reached new levels of creativity and musicianship. If the pinnacle of their career is yet to come, then we will see something in the future that has never been seen before. For anyone who says that Pelican, and instrumental groups like them, are boring, too long, too slow, or not exciting enough, then you are certainly dead. This album holds your attention as if it has a spell on you.

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battles_ 8/4/2005 11:25:21 AM

FUUUUCK YES! GREAT ALBUM!!!!!

Pelican The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw

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