The title track, "March into the Sea," is a maelstrom of heavy, fist pumping, instrumental riff-sludge. The lack of vocals is a huge plus for me, as I'm usually turned off by the type of vocals that usually end up on this type of song. At over 20 minutes long, Pelican's ability to endure the rigors of maintaining their testosterone filled intensity for longer than most, borders on virtuosity. Though, there are two moments of mellowing. The first builds back into a reinvested fury. The second drops the mix down to a looped drone and acoustic guitar, eventually filled out with a piano and more atmospheric washes, clouding the mix and creating a great, dark vibe.
The second track is a remix of "Angel Tears" from their self titled album by Justin Broadrick (of Godflesh), and it's absolutely fantastic, offering a polar opposite view of the band to the first song. Instead of hinging on the intricacies of the guitar parts and textures, Broadrick instead pounds the music down to its finest elements, painting a deeply colored tapestry of drones, sustained buzzand pulsing rhythm while retaining much of the dramatic energy that infuses the band.
