Pelican certainly have not done that, in fact there are moments for both sets of Pelican fan to really enjoy here, but at the same time, this is by no means their most convincing release. Its clear when they went into writing though they were not only looking out at the world around them but in at themselves and their career so far; there are definite moments likened to earlier material. For instance, opener 'Bliss in Concrete' is very reminiscent of Pelican's earlier deep, chugged sound that was all but missing from 'Fire in the Throats' where as other moments are quite reminiscent of that sophomore album. 'Spaceship Broken - Parts Needed' builds very much like a track from 'The Fire...' but with far less repetition and much more condensing, and even ends on a similar double-bass drum led juggernaut, much like 'March into the Sea'. 'City of Echoes' even has a mid-way acoustic track like its predecessor, but unfortunately, doesn't gel as well as before and in the end, seems a bit pointless.

And it is the failure of that acoustic interlude that actually sums up the negatives on this record quite well; it just doesn't feel like an album. Previously, Pelican always put a lot of work into making sure their records had flow, something that ensures the atmosphere is kept through well placed strategic transistors, either at the end of tracks or subtly placed in the middle of them when a song dramatically shifts course. You generally, as a listener to these vast and exciting pieces, found yourselves enjoying the whole experience of a Pelican record because they always felt complete, a comprehensible beginning, middle and end and was always, despite being wordless, an emotionally attached roller-coaster that showed you a magical world that wasn't all that different from Earth as you trudged through storms, conflict and eventually, peace. This record however, sadly doesn't really accomplish anything to these standards until the final two tracks. If you listened to just 'A Delicate Sense of Balance' and its very emotional, slow-burning sound with its heart-warming end, you'd be forgiven for mistaking what this record actually sounds like, as it is the only piece (other than the title track) that really shows that wonderful sense of emotion we all know and love from the Chicago-foursome.

The simple fact is, is that this record just sounds a bit rushed. Yeah, condensing and more "to the point" songs are great, but its come at the expense of the amazing atmosphere and emotions attached to their previous works. Out of context, these tracks all have something very enjoyable about them (and thus, I look forward to seeing them performed live) as the guitar interplay has grown fantastically, and is definitely the biggest progression and improvement from before. The title-track shows this as it is potentially amongst one of the band's finest moments so far, but ironically, it is also the longest track, and it comes after the aforementioned chuggy opener 'Bliss in Concrete' that throughout its 5 minutes 30 seconds, never actually lets up its stranglehold on the listener. So when the 'calm before the storm' sounding 'City of Echoes' comes in after it, it all seems a little disorientating.

So, as single tracks, there is some fantastic work here, particularly on the two guitarists part, but its come at the expense of feeling like a complete piece of work, and as a result feels a bit cluttered and confused. As I'm sure, some of Pelican's fan base will also be feeling.

Adam Turner-Heffer