Beak, Anatomy of Habit, Vukari

Beak by Kyle Gaddo

When: Fri., Sept. 19, 9 p.m.
Price: $8

You’re supposed to mellow out as you grow grayer and life beats you into submission, but the members of Chicago instrumental postrock institution the Timeout Drawer formed a metal band called Beak instead. They crank up the volume and with it the rage in their sound, largely by adding vocals. Beak’s new Let Time Begin (Someoddpilot) is still heavy postrock in many respects—the meandering interludes, the omnipresent moodiness, the rapid picking that foreshadows a monstrous crescendo—but when guitarist-vocalist Jon Slusher bellows like he’s struggling to expel the bile that’s eating the pit of his stomach, the tracks become crushing. In one of the defining flourishes on Let Time Begin, “Over the Shelter, the Morning Breaks” (a more post-anything title, there is not) acts as a two-minute-plus instrumental intro to album closer “Fiery They Rose,” showcasing Beak’s proficiency at writing bristling postrock as well as their newly acquired skill at letting it off its leash. —Kevin Warwick

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