by Michael Hill

For over a decade, Pelican have been navigating the changing tides of a musical movement that they, along with one-time label mates Isis, helped to create. Where most bands tended toward hyperbole in their song structures, Pelican's music has a sense of immediacy that set them apart from the legion of carbon-copy bands that favored the "loud-soft-loud-crescendo" formula. Pelican added a more apocalyptic sensibility to the epic musings.

A few years ago, my band Tombs had the opportunity to tour with them. We unanimously thought this was a good thing because Pelican, aside from gaining a high standing with critics, had also garnered a very devoted following. It was one of the easiest tours I've ever done; everyone was cool, professional and totally about the music, but it was at a Denny's in San Antonio that we solidified our friendship. Or was it the white-knuckle drive across the Midwest during a freak snow storm that we did together that made us road-brothers. Either way, I feel honored to call them my friends.

Call it synchronicity, but Trevor de Brauw would be in Los Angeles on the same weekend that Tombs was scheduled to play with Exhumed as part of a Scion / Relapse showcase. I met up with Trevor and drummer Larry Herweg after our set to discuss the forthcoming EP Ataraxia / Taraxis (due via Southern Lord on 4/10), the creative process, working in a band with members living in two cities and the normal jack-assery that results when three friends get together on a warm Saturday afternoon...

Continue reading "An Interview with Pelican by Mike Hill of Tombs"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: ÆGES - "Wrong (MP3)

ÆGES at The Power of The Riff in San Francisco (more by Taylor Keahey)

Combine past and present members of Pelican, Shift, Undertow and 16 and you'll get LA's ÆGES, a crew preparing their new LP The Bridge for release via The Mylene Sheath on April 17th. The record mines metal and hardcore in many of the same ways that Quicksand or Betty-era Helmet did in the 90s and Cave In or its contemporaries have in latter years; melodic vocals top thundering guitar riffs on tracks like "Wrong" which makes its debut here today. Check out "Wrong" streaming below or downloadable above.

In related news, Pelican is preparing their new release the new Ataraxia​/​Taraxis EP via Southern Lord on April 12th. Stream a new track, "Lathe Biosas", below. In the meantime, you can catch up on previously released Pelican material via their 10xLP boxset available now (with domestic shipping!).

All streams are below, as well as a set of Pelican tour dates in the EU surrounding their appearance at Roadburn.

Continue reading "ÆGES prepping new LP (song debut); Pelican releasing an EP"

photos by Taylor Keahey and Sarah Coulter, words by BBG

"Pentagram was very solid last night. Too bad the crowd was a bunch of hipsters with no respect." -graveyarns

"A lot of dudes with a Hipster Metal Parking Lot look at the Pentagram show. Might need to trip some of them." -Mr. Dave Hill

Pentagram @ Mezzanine (by Taylor Keahey)

"The headliners for the Power of the Riff fest were none other than doom legends Pentagram. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from them as Victor Griffin hasn't been in the band for a long long time and they've had a revolving door of musicians for quite some time now. Also, I wasn't very into their latest comeback album Last Rites, so I was a tad skeptical I would enjoy their performance. The one thing I did know was that I was more than ready for Victor to lay down some serious doom riffage. They opened with new song Treat Me Right off their latest and right away sounded fantastic. Bobby Liebling's voice has certainly held up over the years and he was belting out classics like Relentless, Forever My Queen and All Your Sins like they were going out of style. Victor's evil riffs rained down upon the crowd who eagerly lapped them up and were thirsting for more after each song. For the encore they came out with The Ghoul before finishing with two more before letting the audience catch their breath. As for my skepticism, it was smashed to bits and a serious appreciation for what they've meant to doom and metal in general was cemented in me with their performance. I hope Pentagram continues on down the dark path for a while more...." [ILSYDHT]

The Power of The Riff "tour" has now come to a close after a pair of dates in Seattle at Neumo's on 8/18 and The Highline on 8/20. You saw pictures from the Los Angeles show and from Elbo Room in San Francisco. Now here is a set of pics from the third west coast date which took place at the Mezzanine in San Francisco on August 16th with Aeges, Baptists, Early Graves, Masakari, John Cobbett, Alpinist, Pelican, and Pentagram. They continue below.

Pentagram is now touring the East Coast with Jeff The Brotherhood and Valient Thorr. That tour hit Le Poisson Rouge last night with ELKS. Pictures from that NYC show are on the way. Meanwhile check out Power of the Riff below...

Continue reading "Power of the Riff in San Francisco in pics (Pentagram, Pelican, Early Graves, Masakari & more)"