Pelican For Beginners

[Agalloch]

Being a huge Pelican fan and many of you will be going to shows where they will be opening, I'll give you a primer on what they're about. They're an instrumental doom/drone/prog act from Chicago. They're not traditional metal in any sense of the word, but more of the slow heavy. They have crushing riffs. I saw them a month ago and they were really mesmerising. Here's a run-down of their albums in order of release:

Untitled EP - Originally a demo. Picked up by Hydrahead records and released as first album. A near perfect 30 minutes of doom. Upon repeated listens it's one of my all time favorite little albums.

Australasia - First full length. Not a bad note played the whole way through. Perfect beginner album for anyone looking to get into them and understand their sound.

March Into The Sea EP - Full 20 minute version of March To The Sea and a remix of Angel Tears (song from Australasia) by JK Broaderick of Godflesh.

The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw - Newest album. A lot more spacey and progressive than the earlier, more doom oriented albums. Another excellent release.

This band fucking rules.

 

[Hubster]

Cheers for that! I've often wondered about Pelican, one of my good friends is a big fan of theirs and also likes his drone doom as well (Sunn O)) etc etc).

This probably should have been posted in the General Forum, or perhaps The End?

I'm still getting used to drone doom tbh, it's a tough genre to appreciate, so still getting to grips with it.

PS - check out Monolithe: perfect doom!

 

[FUBAR]

Pelican are barely a doom band anymore, but they have evolved into something more exciting in my opinion

 

[Agalloch]

Yeah, no longer doom, but Australsia and the Untitled EP fall into that category.

 

[FUBAR]

Yeah, no longer doom, but Australsia and the Untitled EP fall into that category.

Yes and great releases they are too

 

[Kenneth R.]

i have Australasia and think it's great. they've gone more progressive? i'l lhave to look into it

 

[madu]

I really have to check out Pelican. I like Isis, but I don't like the vocals in it at all, so if Pelican is anything like Isis, just without those annoying hardcore vocals, it's most likely amazing.

Yeah. Australasia is the best starter album, eh? I'll get that first, then.

 

[Sickman]

I've been pretty into Pelican for just over a year now. At first I was skeptical of an entirely instrumental band, but those fears quickly went away. They really are quite amazing. I'll be going to the Worcester show and I just wish I could trade Nevermore for Pelican. I love Nevermore's new album, but I think I'd enjoy Pelican much more.

 

[Agalloch]

Having seen both Pelican and Nevermore live, I can say that Pelican DESTROYS Nevermore in a live setting. When I saw Pelican it was LOUD and very crushing. Their sound just fills up the venue.

P.S. Ultimate Metal just reviewed Fire In Our Throats in the review section of this forum.

 

[NeverIsForever]

Thanks for the info...this thread was a great idea!

 

[FRUGiHOYi]

Are they opening for Opeth or something?

 

[Spawnof84]

Pelican sounds pretty good. i just checked them out on hydrahead.org you can hear the whole album "the fire in our throats will beckon the thaw" I think this may be the next album i buy.

 

[the_drip]

Are they opening for Opeth or something?

roger roger.

 

[FRUGiHOYi]

Oh I see now. Well, Nevermore is opening for my date. Pelican sounds interesting though (from what I read here, haven't listened to their music).

 

[CAIRATH]

Someone bought me Australasia as a gift but it just sounds like a poor man's Isis to me. Although to be fair I haven't really given it a good listen yet. But my initial impression was "meh".

 

[Agalloch]

That was MY initial impression as well. Initial impressions are always bad impressions. Always.

 

[Hubster]

I really have to check out Pelican. I like Isis, but I don't like the vocals in it at all, so if Pelican is anything like Isis, just without those annoying hardcore vocals, it's most likely amazing.

Yeah. Australasia is the best starter album, eh? I'll get that first, then.

ISIS are cool, but VERY disappointing live. I love their themes on oceans. In parts of Oceanic and Panopticon, you can close your eyes and sense thick dark waves cruising over a moonlight sea. VERY visual music!

Aarons vocals leave a bit to be desired, but then again, they arent strictly metal so I suppose he can get away with it. It suits the music really (feel sorry for his throat though, because he doesnt have a proper grim vocal technique).

 

[Verano]

Pelican is a great but the band, well the members dress like emocore

 

[zortz]

Checking them out presently.

 

[Agalloch]

The members don't dress like emocore. In fact only one of them kinda does. This is a non-issue.