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Elder – Lore (Armageddon)

March 2, 2015 by A.S. Van Dorston

Elder - Lore (Armageddon, 2015)Elder are a difficult band to describe with just one genre. My immediate reaction to hearing their self-titled debut from 2008 was “Oh my god, this is what music is supposed to sound like.” That’s not to say everyone needs to sound like Elder, but music would certainly be better if more of it did follow their lead. They were often tagged “stoner doom” in the beginning thanks to the slightly bluesy tint of Sabbath-rooted metal, but with some of the thickest, wickedest psychedelic guitar tones heard outside of Kyuss, Sleep and Colour Haze. Dead Roots Stirring (2011) took another bold step into more cosmic territory inhabited by the likes of Ufomammut, but with an even more gauzy, fuzzed-out sound. The magnificent Spires Burn EP (2012) feature two more expansive tracks just under the 12:00 mark that hinted at more progressive explorations to come. They laid low for a few years, with guitarist Nick DiSalvo releasing a proggy psych side project EP, Gold And Silver – Azurite and Malachite (2014).

There’s been some great releases so far in 2015 from Mondo Drag, Corsair, Ruby The Hatchet and Torche. But honestly I’ve been distracted by the review copy of Lore, which I’ve been obsessively listening to more than anything. It’s by far the class of this winter’s batch, and rewards my obsessively repetitive listening sessions because it shows Elder harder to nail down than ever. Their doom roots are more distant now, and the guitar tones are cleaner, revealing some incredibly impressive prog-inspired structures. Yet the tones are still accessible and incredibly inviting. Rather than something I admire from a distance like, say, YOB, I want to roll around in this and let the waves run through me, much like they did when I first saw them at a small bar years ago, the heavy tones giving everyone in the room a full body massage.

I can’t call Lore an all out prog album, but there are certainly elements that could be compared to some of Rush’s looser, heavier moments on Fly By Night, and recent efforts from the ever-prolific Motorpsycho.  The clean, dexterous guitar runs that introduce “Compendium,” would certainly impress the guys from Mastodon, but they waste no time in bringing the hammer down with some super heavy riffage. The 10:57 track is really stuffed with it all, melodic verses, killer solos, built-up tension, an extended bridge, and the sweet release of more glorious riffs and solos, brought back full circle to the vocal melody. If that makes it sound formulaic, it’s not. The whole package is elevated by a sense of adventure and imagination, that only gets more expansive on the following tracks, “Legend” and the incredible 16:22 title track. It’s impossible to properly describe how great they are, and it’s just as hard to overstate how they literally rescued my sanity and faith in music, after witnessing three months of shit show disasters like year-end video countdowns, disheartening results of numerous critics polls, and of course the Grammys. Thank fuckin hell for bands like Elder, that can allow us to at least temporarily fuck off from that world into another musical realm where for now, Elder are king, and we’re all just damn lucky to be invited to visit and hear their amazing sounds.

This band is touring now. Go witness for yourself. Do not cower in the back. Get up front, revel in their awesomeness, and appreciate that bands of this caliber do not come by every day, and they will not be around forever. Then stop by the merch table and fork over for all the CDs, patches and t-shirts you can muster. Hails \../ | Buy | Spotify

03/06 Providence, RI @ AS220
03/07 Peterborough, NH @ Wreck Room
03/08 Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
03/09 Pittsburgh, PA @ Gooski’s
03/10 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
03/11 Indianapolis, IN @ 5th Quarter
03/12 Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s
03/13 Texarkana, TX @ Silver Dollar
03/14 Dallas, TX @ Double Wide
03/16 Austin, TX @ Beerland
03/20 Austin, TX @ The North Door
03/21 Austin, TX @ The Lost Well
03/23 Houston, TX @ Mango’s
03/24 New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
03/25 Atlanta, GA @ 529
03/26 Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
03/27 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
03/28 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
03/29 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
03/30 Boston, MA @ TT the Bear’s Place
05/17 Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory (Psycho Fest)

Elder also topped the Doom Chart for this month. http://doomcharts.com/2015/03/01/the-doom-chart-for-march-2015/

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