With still a relatively small amount of records under their belt (3 - discounting EP‘s and splits) Pelican have explored the dimensions of modern metal and sludge, and homed it with the more ethereal elements of post-rock. The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw was a band reaching a plateau, and really knowing their craft. What We All Come To Need is them returning to more roots orientated structure and sound... namely, riffs. They want to rock out some more. Not in the same way as Australasia did, nothing will quite hit the chunky-ness of that record, no this time they have a more considered approach. One might say mature. But their music has always been mature, so where are they now?A bit tamer, by all accounts. I would expect either something mountainous, stark and harmonic. Not that I’m one who would encourage bands to obey or fall in line with expectations. On the contrary I would expect them to defy them. What We All does do that, in that it doesn’t live up to their past work and doesn’t go anywhere different either. Whilst they do craft neat and at times intricate slabs of guitar riffery, the slab part isn’t all that present on this record. Maybe they have lost their love for the bass heavy riffery of 'Drought' and don’t want to wonder into the stars of 'Aurora Borealis'. The result is slightly disappointing. 'The Creeper' is something of the sludgery we have come to know and love about this band, but still something is missing.The build up of most songs becomes too repetitive. Nonchalance seems apparent on tracks like 'Specks Of Light' Â or 'Ephemeral'. It hurts me to say anything bad by a band that I love and admire so much. but the best attempt on this record is perhaps just a rehash of their Australasian days on 'Strung up From The Sky'. Maybe ideas are few or the direction is lost but what is, and surfaces more as the record plays on is how it has been toned down (but not in the Pelican way)!There is no real standout track on the album, and it pales in comparison to their earlier output. Which is very sad considering they are thought of as one of the pioneers of modern post metal (or whatever), but the best they do borders on parody or self imitation. I just don’t get the same powerful punch as the first two records. The pressure of writing for guitar duo Laurent Schroeder Lebec and Trever De Broer must be tremendous, but in such a tight knit and fruitful relationship beautiful things are/and have been produced.There is reward in the penultimate and closing tracks however. The title track proving they still have weaving magic that makes them great to listen to. Adding vocals on 'Final Breath' was a master stroke, and it does make for a feeling of relief that there is something triumphant on a record that is otherwise a workout of non epic proportions.

Buy the album on Amazon | [itunes link="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/pelican/id73665204?uo=4" title="Pelican" text="iTunes"]