Pelican

Many otherwise perfectly respectable metal acts have been rendered utterly useless by piss-poor vocals and dirt-dumb, by-the-numbers lyrics about angst, death and/or Norse mythology. Thankfully, there's nary a vocal to be found on Pelican's second full-length, The Fire in our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw -- a lumbering, messy affair melding the crash-building flare of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Tortoise's pensive post-rock noodling and the rousing, arse-kicking power riffs of the Fucking Champs. The Chicago quartet's blistering "instru-metal" anthems received a rabid reception at last month's indie-centric Intonation Fest, so expect a strange mix of folks at this show -- from hardcore Napalm Death aficionados to curious kids sporting Belle and Sebastian T-shirts.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $12; call 314-621-9333 for more information.