Elder
Omens

Close your eyes and travel far

Starting from a massive and rocky stoner rock, over time the Berlin-based Elder have infused more and more progressive elements into their music, following a path not dissimilar to other artists, like the Norwegian Enslaved. Omens, the band's fifth full-length, is the acme, the peak of this evolution, and it's the masterpiece of a very solid discography.

Don't be fooled by the vaguely vapor-flavored statue on the cover: Omens is a feast with very strong prog hues where the stoner hardness of previous albums still peeks through. Five tracks averaging ten minutes each: a clear statement of intent. The opener, which also gives the album its title, sets the coordinates where we move: explosions of granitic guitars interspersed with longer, lighter phrases, musical monologues that (almost) never bore. Some didn't like Nick DiSalvo's vocals: for me, instead, they fit very well with this style. After In Procession, marked by a fabulous central passage with a delightful metallic aroma, we reach Halcyon: 4 minutes of guitar dialogue before firing up the engines and heading to the moons of some exoplanet; a sense of communion with the cosmos. One Light Retreating skillfully strikes the heart and closes the album worthily; it's preceded by Embers, where the prog/stoner balance perhaps gives its most brilliant results, seasoned with some juicy riffs: for me the best of the bunch, but they are all splendid, for what is my album of the year 2020.

Two years later, Elder would release Innate Passage: still a nice listen, but less memorable and inspired. I hope for another masterpiece, but surpassing themselves will not be easy...

Till next time.