Elder

An American heavy metal outfit with a distinctly exploratory bent, Elder draws from progressive rock nearly as readily as from stoner metal traditions. The group surfaced in 2006 and has refined its approach across successive recordings, weaving doom, sludge, prog-folk, and heavy-psych textures into the fabric of Reflections of a Floating World (2017) and Omens (2020). A 2021 partnership with the German trio Kadavar yielded the joint release Eldovar: A Story of Darkness & Light, after which the band issued its own Innate Passage in 2022.

Singer and principal songwriter Nick DiSalvo assembled the Massachusetts-based trio in 2005, supported by bassist Jack Donovan and drummer Matt Couto. Their debut album appeared on Meteor City Records in 2008, followed in 2010 by Dead Roots Stirring, issued jointly through Meteor City and Headspin Productions. Armageddon handled the 2012 EP Spires Burn/Release, while Roadburn Records documented the group’s festival performance as Live at Roadburn 2013 in early 2014.

For the third studio album, Lore (2015), Elder expanded its palette with Mellotron, exploring deeper psychedelia and 1970s prog-rock influences; Armageddon released it domestically and Stickman Records handled the European edition. The same labels issued Reflections of a Floating World in 2017, the first Elder recording to feature additional contributions from guitarist and keyboardist Mike Risberg alongside pedal-steel player Michael Samos. The 2019 EP Gold & Silver Sessions ventured into experimental krautrock and jazz, while Omens (2020) emphasized groove-oriented space rock and heavy psych.

The Kadavar collaboration Eldovar: A Story of Darkness & Light surfaced in December 2021 via Robotor, the imprint founded by Elder’s members. After a brief tour the band returned to the studio, self-producing the five-track Innate Passage, which Armageddon Shop released in November 2022. Recorded and mixed by Linda Dag in Germany, the album unites the group’s assured grasp of stoner metal, neo-psychedelia, and contemporary prog.