Date Released: November 25th 2022. Record Label: Stickman Records (EU) / Armageddon Shop (USA). Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Innate Passage: Tracklisting
1.Catastasis - 10:50
2.Endless Return - 09:54
3.Coalescence - 09:47
4.Merged in Dreams – Ne Plus Ultra - 14:43
5.The Purpose - 08:37
Members
Nick DiSalvo - Vocals, Guitars and Keyboards
Jack Donovan - Bass
Mike Risberg - Guitars and Keyboards
Georg Edert - Drums
Review
Progressive/Psych Stoner Rock masters Elder return with their sixth album Innate Passage and it’s everything you’ve come to expect from them. Epic and lush sounding Psych Stoner Rock extended jams with a layer of Prog Rock cleverness within the music. Fans expecting a return to their earlier sounding Doom Metal sounds of their earlier albums will likely be disappointed. Though, Elder have been playing and perfecting this style of Psychedelic music for the best part of a decade now.
Innate Passage is superbly heavy from start to finish with Elder moving between the different levels of Psych Stoner Rock and their clever use of Prog Rock themes. The subtle moves of Space Rock and Ambient Post-Rock is a welcome bonus to this album which you can hear in full effect on the excellent opening track Catastasis that is beautifully heavy and moderately quiet in different stages of the track. Haunting melodic grooves work superbly well with the Ambient Post-Rock or Post-Stoner vibes of the album. The vocals are a different class compared to other bands of Elder’s ilk with them being quite uplifting on the more mellow parts of the song which is carried out throughout the remainder of the album.
Second song Endless Return carries on the similar creative journey of the opening track but perhaps has a familiar feel to songs that appeared on Lore and Reflections Of A Floating World but Elder still showing new sounds that we haven’t heard from them. The song has a great use of synths at the start before bringing traces of Spaced Out Stoner Rock with a cool sounding 70’s Prog Rock feel. Elder shows a new creative side to themselves but still offers classic ELDER wonderful psychedelic sounds.
All the tracks run between nine minutes and almost fifteen minutes in length which is part of the course with Elder albums. The songs on the album are perhaps some of the most progressive we’ve heard from Elder with the different styles of music they employ on the album which allows the album to be wonderfully creative and breathtaking on the later stages on the album. None so more on the best tracks on the album which has to be Coalescence and Merged in Dreams – Ne Plus Ultra. These two tracks are my favourite tracks on the album and contain some of my favourite pieces of music I’ve heard from the band since their celebrated first two albums.
Both of these tracks feature lush and dreamy Post-Rock passages merged with modern day Psych/Stoner Rock grooves that feel CINEMATIC in scope especially on Merged In Dreams - Ne Plus Ultra. Both tracks feature first rate vocals that just adds to the beauty of it all.
Elder ends the album on a high with the stunning final track The Purpose which perhaps feels the most emotionally charged on the album. Intricate Psych Rock sounds that have a feeling of genuine human emotions within the lyrics and Prog Rock passages that accompany the track to its exciting conclusion.
Innate Passage is another classic album from Elder and only enhances their reputation of being one of the essential Psychedelic Stoner Rock bands within the whole scene. This is a type of album that will inspire future musicians for generations to come.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Mona at All Noir PR for the promo.
Innate Passage will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Stickman Records (EU) and Armageddon Shop (USA) from November 25th 2022
Links:
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