Elder (band)

Last updated

Elder
Origin Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres
Years active2006–present
Labels
MembersNick DiSalvo
Jack Donovan
Mike Risberg
Georg Edert
Past membersChas Mitchell
Matt Couto
Website beholdtheelder.com

Elder is an American rock band from Massachusetts, consisting of frontman and lead guitarist Nick DiSalvo, bassist Jack Donovan, guitarist/keyboardist Michael Risberg and drummer Georg Edert. They have released six full-length albums since 2006 and multiple demos and EPs. Elder is now based in Berlin, Germany. [2]

Contents

History

Elder was formed in Massachusetts in the mid-2000s by Nick DiSalvo (guitars, vocals), Chas Mitchell (bass), and Matt Couto (drums). After releasing a split album with the psychedelic rock band Queen Elephantine in 2006, Elder released their eponymous debut LP in 2009 and Dead Roots Stirring in 2011, both on MeteorCity Records. The band signed with Stickman Records and released their third LP, Lore, in 2015.

Mike Risberg joined the band on guitars and keyboards in 2017. Co-founding member and drummer Matt Couto left the band in 2019 [3] and was replaced by Georg Edert.

Album history

The split album with Queen Elephantine is the first appearance of the band under the name Elder and was released in September 2006.

The 2008 self-titled album incorporates a mixture of doom metal and stoner rock elements throughout, while mainly consisting of doom metal and some low-pitched strained vocals on such songs as "Riddle of Steel Pt. 1" similar to Sleep's album Dopesmoker .

Elder's second album Dead Roots Stirring was released on October 25, 2011. This album, unlike their previous album, mainly incorporates stoner rock elements and some psychedelic rock elements. Clay Neely was the sound engineer for the album, Justin Pizzoferrato mixed it, and Adrian Dexter created the album artwork. [4]

A live album Live at Roadburn was released on November 15, 2013, consisting of six tracks from their previously released material. [5]

Third album Lore was released on February 27, 2015. This album featured elements reminiscent of progressive rock, as opposed to the more straight stoner rock/metal sound heard on earlier albums.

Fourth album Reflections of a Floating World was released on June 2, 2017. [6] Rolling Stone magazine rated it fifth on its list of the top metal albums for 2017. [7]

On December 3, 2021, Elder released a collaborative album Eldovar – A Story of Darkness & Light with the German psychedelic rock band Kadavar. The collaboration was the result of tours being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and both bands residing in Berlin. [8]

Innate Passage was released on November 25, 2022. The sixth full-length studio release from Elder, the album builds upon the progressive rock elements of their previous studio album, Omens, while finding new ways to improve upon their ever-evolving sound and structure. [9]

Musical style

The band's mix of doom, stoner, psychedelic, and progressive styles is also referred to as "heavy psych". [10] The songs are often longer than usual, some lasting more than 10 minutes. The music is carried by the pentatonic scale characteristic of stoner and doom, as well as heavy grooves, and makes accentuated use of melodic guitar playing. Nick DiSalvo, the main songwriter, counts bands such as Colour Haze and Dungen among his main influences. DiSalvo commented on Elder's preference for long playing times by saying that he needed time to develop his musical ideas and had no talent for writing short songs. [10]

Members

Current

Former

Timeline

Elder (band)

Discography

References

  1. ↑ "Elder – The Gold & Silver Sessions". Discogs . June 21, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  2. ↑ Chick, Stevie (November 25, 2022). "Elder: Innate Passage review – ground-shaking heaviness meets lofty ambition". The Guardian . Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  3. ↑ "ELDER Part Ways with Co-Founder and Drummer Matt Couto". lambgoat.com. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  4. ↑ Koczan, JJ (December 4, 2011). "Elder Interview with Nick DiSalvo: The Living Roots". The Obelisk. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  5. ↑ Elder: Live at Roadburn: The Obelisk, A review and preview of the album.
  6. ↑ "Reflections of a Floating World, by Elder". Elder. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  7. ↑ "20 Best Metal Albums of 2017". Rolling Stone. December 6, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Eldovar: "Wir haben uns keine Grenzen gesetzt."". laut.de. December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Innate Passage, by Elder". Elder. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Kautz, Dominik (August 6, 2019). "Elder: 'Wir sprengen die Grenzen des Stoner Rock' – Interview". laut.de (in German). Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  11. ↑ Maloney, David (February 7, 2017). ""Elder" Interview by Keith Clements". Metal Heads Forever. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
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