Elder

Elder are a Boston, United States band active since 2005. They are a four-piece group centred on Nick DiSalvo, with Matt Couto, Michael Risberg and Georg Edert in the current line-up. Their music sits in the overlap of doom metal, heavy psych, metal, psychedelic rock, sludge metal and stoner metal, and they are identified as a US psychedelic doom and stoner metal band.

Style and development

The band begins as a stoner/doom act and develops into a more progressive and wide-ranging rock group. Their songs are often long-form, with extended structures that move through different styles, and their sound combines heavy psychedelic textures with progressive rock elements and broader atmospheric passages. Over time they add new influences, including post-rock, prog rock and space rock, while keeping a strong emphasis on heavy riffs and melodic development.

Releases

Elder release seven full-length albums from 2006 onwards, alongside several demos and EPs. Their early releases include Elder from 2008 and Dead Roots Stirring from 2010, both of which help establish their melodic approach within the stoner rock scene. Lore, released in 2015, marks a major turning point and expands their sound further. Reflections of a Floating World follows two years later and receives strong critical attention. In 2019 they issue the experimental EP The Gold & Silver Sessions, which is recorded live from material developed on tour and features a softer approach with motorik rhythms, keyboards and sparse arrangements. Omens follows as the first full-length recorded with Risberg and Edert in the line-up, and includes guest contributions from Fabio Cuomo on Rhodes piano and synthesizers.

Line-up and personnel

The band is described as a four-piece consisting of frontman Nick DiSalvo, bassist Jack Donovan, guitarist/keyboardist Michael Risberg and drummer Georg Edert. The later full-length Omens is the first recorded with Risberg and Edert as part of the line-up. Matt Couto is also listed among the band’s members.

Recognition

Lore is described as a watershed release in the band’s career and is named “Album of the Decade” by The Obelisk. Reflections of a Floating World appears on several year-end best-of lists, including a Rolling Stone list of the 20 best metal albums of 2017, where it ranks at number five.