Release Date: May 16th 2025. Record Label: Run For Cover Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Flickering Resonance - Tracklisting
1.Gulch 02:47
2.Evergreen 06:26
3.Indelible 07:06
4.Specific Resonance 08:22
5.Cascading Crescent 04:24
6.Pining For Ever 07:00
7.Flickering Stillness 07:00
8.Wandering Mind 08:07
Members
Bryan Herwe
Larry Herwe
Laurent Schroeder-Lebec
Trevor Shelley de Brauw
Review
Pelican return with their new album Flickering Resonance which is the first full length album with the original lineup after Laurent Schroeder-Lebec quit back in 2012 and rejoined a decade later. The two albums that followed Laurent’s departure saw Pelican lose their original magic with the records that followed. 2013’s Forever Becoming and 2019’s Nightmare Stories both had majestic and magical sounds that only the band could deliver but the sense of optimism that was heard within their earlier records was sadly missing.
Flickering Resonance sees that uplifting balance restored with Pelican feeling more vital and assertive as ever with a never ending array of stunning Progressive Instrumental sounds that feels like the true successor to their classic 2009 record What We All Come To Need. This album still has moments of bleak Post-Doom and Post-Rock surroundings with the intricate Psychedelic elements allowing Pelican to inject an uplifting light of triumph, optimism and ultimately HOPE. The instrumental sounds are top-notch as usual with Pelican blending Post-Metal sounds and Atmospheric Sludge technical beats with sudden shifts to Ambient movements.
The tracks can be quite long but that’s one of the albums main strengths with Pelican weaving long intricate progressive melodies and complex sound structures that change musical dynamics just for the sheer HELL of it. The music is quite fast-paced, muscular and wholly aggressive with this being one of the heaviest records from the band in quite some time.
WIth the sombre Post-Rock exchanges between the stunning rhythm section of Larry Herwe on Drums and Bryan Herwe on Bass allowing both Laurent Schroeder-Lebec and Trevor Shelley de Brauw guitars being quite forthright and straight to the point in delivering multi-layered psychedelics sonic passages.
I haven’t even mentioned the standout tracks yet within this review for good reason as they’re all brilliant, engaging and thrilling as each other. The songs have their own unique soul and musical identity with Pelican rewriting the rules of Instrumental Rock/Metal and Post-Metal music in general. However, if I have to highlight my favourite tracks then these would be: Evergreen, Specific Resonance, Pining For Ever, Flickering Stillness and Wandering Mind. As these tracks shine a light to some classic sounding Pelican grooves that could easily have come from their landmark records.
The final two tracks of Flickering Stillness and Wandering Mind does allow Pelican to branch over into more destructive Post-Doom and Sludge Metal territory whilst leaving the record full of renewed optimism from the band which allows this record to be their most essential and important album in years.
Flickering Resonance may end up becoming the Post-Metal album of the year for me personally and ranks as the standout instrumental rock/metal albums I’ve heard in a very long time.
Words by Steve Howe
Links
Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
