Not For The Elderly!

ELDER – “Elder” CD ’09 (Meteor City, US) – The name of this Massachusetts band is ironic on a couple levels. To begin with, the record was originally recorded nearly 2 years ago, having finally seen it’s official Meteor City release date on January 13, 2009. So, in one sense, you could say these guys have grown old waiting for their debut album to see the light of day. There’s an even deeper irony, however, in that while these 3 chaps are very young (early 20’s at most), they have created something that rivals the best work of their elders. It took me forever to get this disc, finding it nowhere in Baltimore and finally having to order it online. Initial reports compared the trio to the fledgling works of Sleep/High On Fire and Electric Wizard. So, that’s what I had in mind, pleased as I was to open the envelope and find I’d gotten the cool LP-styled gatefold. It was in listening to the opening cut, “White Walls,” however that I realized ELDER was a lot more mature than I’d expected. For an album that features just 5 cuts over nearly 42 minutes, there isn’t a trace of boredom in it’s length. This young 3-piece comes at you with, yes, the heaviness of a Sherman tank and, sure, the pendulous groove of early Pike units but there’s way more. ELDER know exactly when to change the pace to make things interesting and the thoughtful playing, ‘specially that of guitarist Nick DiSalvo is startlingly good. This guy comes up with a wealth of riffs that flow together so well & incorporate enough melodies that songs in the 9-10 minute range seem no more than 4 or 5. Not only that, his lead work is perceptive and downright musical to the point that it sometimes snows under that of Pike or Justin Osborn. Add in his gruff-to-clean vocals & an organic dynamo churning around him in the names of Jack Donovan (bass) & Matt Couto (drums) and you’ve got plenty of reasons why ELDER are wise beyond their years. Crush! 2000 Pounds Of Talent

www.myspace.com/beholdtheelder
www.clfrecords.com/artist_elder.htm