Album Review: Elder – Omens

Prolifically…interesting

It’s a bold move for bands to change their sound, especially if they’ve years of consistency under their belt. Fanbases spend years devoted to a particular style—the possibility of losing it all is a potential risk that’s honestly respectable for any act to take. Yet for those who do it successfully, the payoffs are paramount. Whether that’s the plane Elder are operating on now or not is subjective, considering their new record Omens is somewhat deviant from their usual output. Not entirely, though—the bulk of Omens offerings are expansions of elements from previous records. It’s that bulk that could be considerably off-putting to lovers of their heavier material. While Omens is heavy in its own regard, it’s more of a full-blown jam record, and that may not be for everyone.

Elder uses the title track, which happens to be the first on the docket, to start the slow roux that eventually thickens into a jazzy atmosphere. It’s a super prog start, too, since intergalactic-sounding arpeggio keys grow in layers with long-winded riffs before Nick DiSalvo’s throaty crooning comes in. They were never a band to employ vocals too often, especially is some of their more recent work, but Omens makes quite a good and accentuated use of them. DiSalvo chimes in and out of “In Procession,” allowing technical keys and riffs to handle the rest.

Though Elder normally blends psych, prog and stoner rock (with their first two records incorporating much more of a doom aspect), “Halcyon” could be a robust addition to any Russian Circles record. It’s a healthy dose of a post-rock jam, with a stout drum solo toward the end, though “Embers” takes them a bit back to their psychy-stoner-prog sweet spot.

What makes Omens so different from the rest of Elder’s output is their commitment to becoming unhinged, in a sense. They’ve never been strangers to maneuvering their instruments with wild abandon, but Omens sees them unleashed, jamming through characteristically lighthearted tones. The ambiance is different on Omens and though it may not be for every Elder fan, it could certainly bring in some new ones who fancy freeform rock.