Angel Tears

Pelican – Australasia

Poor old Pelican are most commonly compared to Isis, and it's a comparison that they will inevitably suffer by because while they're a good band, they'll never be as awesome as the band they are obviously most influenced by.

Isis and Pelican are both ponderously heavy and slow, but whereas Isis' music sounds like the world crumbling to pieces Pelican have a solid streak of uplift running through them, evoking solitude and beauty not unlike the cloud swept landscapes found on the CD sleeve. There's nothing wrong with such a mood (and in fact it can come as a welcome relief after Isis' doom laden grimness) so that's not a meant as a criticism of them at all.

What is meant as a criticism though is that they also skew more towards the 'rock' side of post- music rather than metal, which robs them of the power they could achieve, and at times some of their riffs even seem a little indie (hisss! We hates it!). Australasia is a nice enough album but it can't help but suffer in its unavoidable comparison with Isis.