Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
The innovated sounds of Massachusetts rockers Elder, have released their new album Omens today. Elder’s new album Omens answers any speculation about new directions with affirmation: evolution or extinction. Lush, intricately interwoven melodies grow and dissolve into spaced-out jams; massive riffs thunder down into a churning sea of psychedelic sounds and unpredictable grooves carry away the listener. Elder paint pictures with their music, and Omens shows the band experimenting with an even more colorful palette – with good reason. After thirteen years, this is the first full-length recorded with a new lineup including guitarist Michael Risberg and new drummer Georg Edert, along with guest performances by Fabio Cuomo on Rhodes piano and synthesizers.
In five cinematic songs, lush, intricately interwoven melodies grow and dissolve into spaced-out jams. Massive riffs thunder down into a churning sea of psychedelic sounds and unpredictable grooves carry away the listener. This is music for a vacation from reality – or to lose oneself in another world. And yet Omens is not purely an exercise in escapism, but also reflects the increasingly bleak, confusing and antagonistic times in which it was written. Composed as a concept album spanning the lifespan of a civilization, the album also reads as a commentary on our own society hell-bent on profitability at the expense of our own lives and environment.
- Omens
- In Procession
- Halcyon
- Embers
- One Light RetreatingTour dates:
November 11 Brooklyn, NY Elsewhere
November 12 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
November 13 Richmond, VA Richmond Music Hall
November 14 Wilmington, NC Reggies
November 15 Asheville, NC Mothlight
November 17 Lexington, KY Cosmic Charlie’s
November 18 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
November 19 Atlanta, GA The Earl
November 20 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jack’s
November 21 Houston, TX Secret Group
November 22 Austin, TX Barracuda
November 24 Albuquerque, NM Sister BarNovember 25 Denver, CO Hi Dive
November 27 St. Paul, MN Turf Club
November 28 Chicago, IL Reggies
November 29 Columbus, OH Spacebar
December 1 Detroit, MI Sanctuary
December 2 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace
December 3 Montreal, QC Petit Campus
December 4 Quebec City, QC L’Anti
December 5 Boston, MA Middle East
Elder is a genre-pushing rock band that melds heavy psychedelic sounds with progressive elements and evocative soundscapes. Formed in a small coastal town in Massachusetts in the mid aughts, the band has reinvented their sound over the course of five albums to grow from a stalwart of the stoner/doom scene into one of the most unique voices in the rock underground. Their long-scale compositions unfold as journeys, running the gamut of styles from the 70’s to the present within a single song with a penchant for “sheer gatefold-era grandeur” (Rolling Stone).
By continuing to incorporate new elements to their sound, Elder’s output has repeatedly raised the bar for their peers. Beginning with 2008’s Elder and 2010’s Dead Roots Stirring, the band made ripples in the stoner rock scene with their uniquely melodic approach to the genre. In 2015 they surprised again with Lore, a watershed moment in the band’s career (recently crowned “Album of the Decade” by The Obelisk) which incorporated elements of post, prog and space rock into the Elder sound. Despite several years of heavy touring surrounding the album, Reflections of a FloatingWorld was released just two years later, earning a spot at the top of many best-of lists including Rolling Stone (#5, 20Best Metal Albums Of 2017), Stereogum and others.
In 2019, a tour pitstop in Berlin, Germany yielded the experimental EP The Gold & Silver Sessions. Recorded live based off of ideas largely crafted while on the road, the release showcased Elder’s softer side; motorik beats, lush keyboards and sparse compositions replaced the usual colossal riffs and dense structure. Almost a decade and a half after the first sludgy riffs were recorded and the first demo pressed, the door for Elder stylistically remains wide open.
