Elder - Omens

The intent should always be to create music that the band members want to play. That interests them, that will continue to excite them after six months of touring it. That seems like it would be a given for any group of musicians, but what you often get is overthinking and over analysing. Trying to please the industry, and to the expectations of listeners or making the mistake of placing emphasis on past success or acclaim. Elder have not abandoned their old sound at all. There are still thundering climaxes and heavy sections on most of the five tracks on Omens, yet Elder have taken the progression from Lore to Reflections, and expanded upon it even further. This should not alienate old fans, as that progression is organic, and the songwriting has improved.

Elder write songs differently than how they did on their first few albums. Nick DiSalvo resides in Berlin now, so regular jam sessions do not occur due to the geographical nature of the band members still in the States. This has meant that Nick has been the major song writer on the last couple of releases, and he is a brilliant one at that. Elder have always written long songs, but on Omens, the songs take an even more expansive and experimental journey. It takes many listens to pin down those structures, and await the twists and turns, the climaxes, peaks and valleys. Whether it is the electric piano, the keyboards or synths; sometimes it is a vocal line, or a repeating verse; maybe a guitar led riff or a rhythmic shift. Even with the songs at over ten minutes, it is these moments that keep you engaged and wanting to come back for more.

In Procession is a conglomeration of everything this band has become and now stands for. What is the solitary purpose of anything? The keys mixed with the guitar and rhythm section that opens settles into a track that has everything - it really does ebb and flow. The synth driven bridge to the second verse is wonderful. The absence of vocals let these sections breathe. When they are apparent though, they work and they never stand out, dominate, or demand attention on Omens, yet there is a hint of nineties angst in the delivery on In Procession that proceeds the wild solo jam section approaching for fourth minute.

Omens was written as a concept album that spans the lifespan of a civilisation. It reads as a commentary on our own society, with profit and power at the expense of everything else. It is an interesting album lyrically, you never get a sense that this is personal, yet the messages are personal to all of us, especially at this time in our lives.

80% of the tracks were written before the band entered the studio, which is surprising as they feel like heavily improvised, yet refined jams at times. The beginning of Halcyon is an example of the band just jamming out. The Gold and Silver Sessions EP from 2019, has given Nick the confidence to go where his instincts tell the track to go, and to hell with the consequences. He is an incredible songwriter, and the band are talented musicians and execute their craft well. The first single Embers is a brave move, as it is a song that is much removed from what they have done before; with its upbeat Alternative Rock beginnings to the lush keyboard and synth middle sections, to the wild solo and jam that leads into the clean openings of One Light Remaining. Elder do not settle into one particular structure for too long before shifting dynamics, mood and tone. It is therefore a varied album, more so than Reflections or Lore.

The electric piano, keyboards and synths is one clear area of production and songwriting that can be pinpointed when comparing Omens to their previous releases. Nick and Michael Risberg (guitars) are credited with playing keyboards here, and the band welcomed Fabio Cuomo into the studio to add electric piano and synthesisers. Fabio is an Italian film score composer, and has written several soundtracks to independent movies. He is a multi instrumentalist and is well known as a session man in the underground Italian music scene. On Omens, Fabio adds so much to the feel and mood of the album, and it shifts Elder from a band that could once be pigeon holed into progressive rock or stoner rock, to a band that now has no limits. Omens is a heavy rock album, with classic elements, that hovers around the seventies and is experimental. However, while you could use descriptors that could be associated with Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, Yes or even Hawkwind; there are contemporary bands that can be heard just as much. Isis on In the Absence of Truth or Wavering Radiant, Rosetta on Utopioid, or Cog on Sharing Space. There is also a reflection of Baroness in their skill and attention to their craft and their artistic endeavour.

Pauline Kael once said that people in any professional field do not do a very good job, that is true of university professors its true of even janitors. 85% of people in any field are incompetent. That is unfortunately true of musicians and their output. However, Elder fall within that other 15%. Omens is a remarkable album that welcomes repeat listens, and many of them. It is not as immediate as albums such as Lore or Reflections, but it is a better album, and it is exciting to see a band not willing to please anyone but themselves, and what they stand for as artists.