Following the announcement of the deluxe reissue of Pelican’s critically-acclaimed 2005 album  The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw (Thrill Jockey), out July 21st, the quartet is sharing the remastered version of the rare track “Ran Amber”. One of several rarities to feature on the reissue, “Ran Amber” was previously only available on an extremely limited split with  MONO, now finally given a full digital and physical release. Emerging from a skeletal piano dirge and warped ambience, “Ran Amber” descends into ecstatic noise before mesmeric grooves begin to slowly take shape from the murk, expanding outwards into euphoric bliss.

Pelican will be touring throughout the midwest this August with support from now-labelmates  Upper Wilds. The tour includes a special show at the Metro in Chicago, IL celebrating the reissues of the band’s first three albums, also featuring special guests Uniform on the line-up.

With the fresh new mix by Greg Norman and remastering by Josh Bonati, the deluxe edition of The Fire In Our Throats brings a clarity and punch to the recordings that highlight the interplay between each member. The rhythm section of bassist Bryan Herweg and drummer  Larry Herweg shines more brightly, bolstering the intricate melodicism and interlocking riffing between guitarists Trevor Shelley de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-lebec. The more articulate presentation of the album showcases the power of each individual player while buttressing Pelican’s distinct sound as a unified force. 

Following the heavy riffing bombardment of Australasia, The Fire In Our Throats showcased the group’s compositional deftness via the addition of increasingly complex melodic layers. The genre-busting nature of the album’s melodicism and refined dynamics was a harbinger of things to come in a genre whose strict boundaries were rapidly being shattered; a fact recognized and cemented by the album’s critical reception, which engendered everything from an Album of the Year nod from Decibel to pontifications about Pelican representing a rising wave of intellectualism in metal from the New York Times. The Fire In Our Throats established Pelican as indisputable masters of their craft. Pelican’s ability to alchemize their influences into a sound so wholly original and then expand on that sound into a work of captivating beauty remains a marvel. The album indelibly shifted the paradigm of heavy music and the ripples of that shift can be heard in the countless bands that have risen to prominence since its release.  Nearly two decades since the album’s release on Hydra Head Records, The Fire In Our Throats  has stood as not just one of the band’s most celebrated releases, but as a watershed work of avant-metal.