Pelican : Ascending
Despite making music together for more than two decades, Chicago’s Pelican still feel like an underrated act in the sphere of post-metal. They may not have had the foundational influence on the genre as Neurosis or ISIS, or have taken it in as radical a direction as SUMAC, but they’ve proven themselves consistently capable of turning out records that combine the sonics of post-rock with solid metallic riffs as well as any band in the game. Their seventh full-length album, last year’s Flickering Resonance, bore the influences of punk and emo bands they shared stages with early in their career, and as a result, its tracks felt more structured and focused than those on 2019’s Nighttime Stories, which, while equally enjoyable, occasionally veered into unpredictable, mathcore-like time signatures. It also marked the first time founding guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec had played on a Pelican album since 2009’s What We All Come to Need, following a ten-year “sabbatical” he took from the band.
Pelican’s new EP, Ascending, features four rarities that are intended to serve as a companion to Flickering Resonance. The EP’s opening title track features guitars from Schroeder-Lebec and Trevor de Brauw that alternate between thick and sludgy riffs and a more melodic and free-flowing sound. The styles complement each other rather than clash, however. The parts of the piece that feel epic in scope have their harder edges softened by the more tender-sounding moments, and the latter parts are intensified and given more firepower by the heavier passages.
This is followed by an alternate take of “Cascading Crescent” from Flickering Resonance that, unusually for a Pelican track, features vocals, some of which are provided by Geoff Rickly from Thursday. The vocals add additional elements that weren’t present on the album version, without diminishing any of the power that the previous cut had. The initial screams sound akin to those delivered by Deafheaven’s George Clarke, before Rickly angrily recites a statement concerning “cruel treatment and torture / Taking of hostages / Outrages upon personal dignity.” As the heavy guitars underpinning his spoken statement give way to softer, more melodic riffing, the clean singing he delivers sounds pleasantly and unexpectedly tuneful, recalling George Harrison more than any metal vocalist.
“Adrift” continues the title track’s preponderance of guitar-playing styles that alternate between solid and tuneful, with the two modes never feeling incongruous or in conflict with one another. On both this track and “Tending the Embers,” which follows it, the deep, low rhythm guitar interlocks with the rhythm section while the lead guitar soars tunefully over the top of the mix. Larry Herweg’s drumming on the latter track is steady and propulsive, setting a solid pace for the rest of the band to follow. The tempo slows down towards the end of the track as the mix of instruments unwinds before some closing guitar chords redolent of Definitely Maybe-era Oasis bring the record to a satisfying conclusion. Ascending is an interesting and enjoyable EP that explores and develops aspects of the sound Pelican deployed on Flickering Resonance further, making for a strong and worthy companion piece to that album.
Label: Run for Cover
Year: 2026
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