Released in 2019 via Southern Lord Records, Pelican’s Nighttime Stories is a masterful return to the band’s instrumental post-metal roots, blending crushing heaviness with cinematic atmosphere. The album balances ferocious riffs and dense textures with expansive dynamics, creating compositions that feel both weighty and vividly immersive.
The record opens with Midnight and Mescaline, immediately establishing a sense of momentum with layered guitars, thunderous drumming, and brooding melodic undertones. Throughout Nighttime Stories, tracks such as Light of the Land and An Inch Above Sand showcase Pelican’s ability to combine intensity with space, crafting soundscapes that are as emotionally resonant as they are sonically powerful.
Instrumentation is precise and monumental. Guitars interweave heavy, detuned riffs with soaring melodies, bass provides grounding depth, and drums alternate between punishing grooves and subtle, textural rhythms. The absence of vocals emphasizes the narrative quality of the music, allowing the compositions to convey mood and drama through dynamics alone.
Production captures both the clarity and weight of the performances. Each instrument occupies its own space, enhancing the immersive quality of the music and allowing the listener to experience the full impact of the band’s layered sound.
Nighttime Stories is a record that demands attention and rewards focus. Its blend of heaviness, melody, and atmosphere demonstrates Pelican’s enduring mastery of instrumental storytelling within the post-metal genre.
Ultimately, Nighttime Stories stands as one of Pelican’s most cohesive and compelling works, a testament to their ability to create music that is powerful, cinematic, and emotionally resonant without a single word of lyrics.
