The first track, "March into the Sea" buzzes into both eardrums quickly, filling the conscious and subconscious with familiar monster-stomping vibrations. Larry Herweg's aggressive percussion and Laurent and Trevor's sax-like drones spread like fissures consuming everything, until we get to the 6-minute mark. The fused melody and stickwork heat up to a sort of KARMA TO BURN vibe, building critical mass. At 8 minutes, the drums belching filth like underwater volcanoes, become smothered in effervescent, melodic walls of guitar bubbles. Eventually, the track capsizes on itself, and begins again with clean acoustic guitar squeaking cold, wooden puffs of melody, which flicker against soft piano and clear-channel noises.

The remix of "Angel Tears", courtesy of Justin Broadrick from JESU is quite obviously a different animal than the title track. The mix, rhythmically majestic and simple, and guitar tones, relatively condensed and glowing, both point to creative knob-twiddling. A shorter track at 12-13 minutes, this version of "Angel Tears" is an ambient, twinkling affair, its pulse the sound of a huge, lumbering deity stomping through the cosmos, plucking planets out of orbit and placing them in his pocket like marbles.

Remember Nuprin? The ad said "Little. Yellow. Different." Well, this is "Vast. Deep Blue. All-powerful". You'll have to back up several steps for the first few spins to get a full view of this one, as PELICAN's sound is so huge, a barge is required for delivery.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: www.hydrahead.com/pelican

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