The seeds of Neurosis bear fruit...

This will be a brief little post. It has one objective: to celebrate the band, Pelican. I just got their album, Australasia today. Granted, I haven't really let it sit too long, but I predict I will come to like this album and this band quite a bit. Yeah, they share Neurosis' aesthetic -- and it is Neurosis' aesthetic. But, Pelican's brand of sludge is not the Dionysian ecstasy of Neurosis. It's more like the orange glow of amplifier tubes, or a warm, swiftly moving breeze on sweat-moistened skin. Much metal demonstrates its power in order to strike the listener with a kind of terror and awe, like a petty, omnipotent but nonetheless insecure God. Pelican, on the other hand, asserts its power benevolently, bestowing blessings on its beloved: the listener.
They have a more recently-released album. I know nothing about it. But Australasia is entirely worthwhile.