Tournament of soul-crushers

As different as they are, Pelican (which plays Wednesday at Subterranean) and Dub Trio (there Friday) share a penchant for wrenching instrumental rock that's carefully crafted but often lands with devastating results. Of course, this very might draws people to these bands' live shows, and the week affords an easy opportunity to get swallowed alive by both in short order. Here's The A.V. Club's rundown for anyone in need of a good smiting.

PELICAN
Weapons: Two guitars, drums, and bass, churning up a dense sludge at one extreme and foggier, subtler sounds at the other. 
Soft spots: Pelican's been known to temper the heaviness of its studio recordings with such elements as acoustic guitar, singing saw, and piano. Amid all the chugging dirges and a generally metal-influenced attack, it clearly loves to soar up into happier territory. 
Label: Hydra Head, founded by Aaron Turner of the heavy-yet-atmospheric metal band Isis.
Typical song titles: "Dead Between The Walls," "Angel Tears"
Live sampling: The 2007 DVD After The Ceiling Cracked documents a 2005 live set in London. It's a clean and clear recording that doesn't let through enough of the band's sometimes-nasty low end, but there should be more of that to enjoy in person.
Other activities: The band shares three of its members with Tusk, in which they step away from Pelican's more structured, melodic songs into a crazy meltdown of unhinged riff-noise and shrieking vocals. Tusk's website boasts that it's "banned" from such venues as, um, Subterranean. Guess the same doesn't hold true of Pelican.
Dread rating: 6. That's not to say Pelican couldn't bring home the severed heads if it wanted to. It just chooses to leave room for pretty, spacier asides, even on relatively harsh numbers like "Dead Between The Walls":



DUB TRIO
Weapons: One guitar, one bass, drums, and a host of onstage pedals and mixing boards that enable thick, awesomely oppressive gobs of reverb and noise; hellish physical endurance.
Soft spots: When the foreboding battery of metal- and punk-inspired riffs lets up, Dub Trio ventures into, well, dub, creating quiet yet ominous spaces full of echoing guitars streaked with the occasional melodica. These breaks in the songs can turn surprisingly pretty—hell, the bridge of "Felicitation," from this year's Another Sound Is Dying, even sounds like something Pelican wouldn't mind having their name on—and function to restore a little morale before the assault begins anew.
Label: Ipecac, founded by Mike Patton of such deranged bands as Mr. Bungle.
Typical song titles: "Who Wants To Die?," "Jack Bauer"
Live sampling: On the live CD Cool Out And Coexist, Dub Trio alternately wade through their own muggy sonic fallout and blast right through it. It's a good indicator of all the sounds the band goes through onstage, so just imagine it magnified tenfold in your face.
Other activities: Drummer Joe Tomino, bassist Stuart Brooks, and guitarist DP Holmes have separately earned credits as studio and touring-band ringers for such artists as 50 Cent and The Fugees.
Dread rating: 8. Dub Trio is mercilessly but not stupidly heavy. Despite the more forgiving bits of "Felicitation," for example, their intimidating focus and precision always send the message that they could bludgeon a crowd for quite a few hours without getting tired.