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| Artwork by Adrian Dexter. |
Omens’ cover, by long-time Elder artist Adrian Dexter, seems at first blush a curious departure from Reflections of a Floating World or Lore’s fantastic, vibrant landscapes; a simple broken statue wreathed in fog. A closer look at a larger version reveals details of the statue lost in smaller renderings. It’s crumbling and overgrown with moss. Much less of a departure from the rugged, surreal landscapes that formed the focus of earlier albums than it first looks. Still a surreal still life of nature. This time after humanity, rather than before.
The album itself makes a similarly deceptive first impression. Where Reflections of a Floating World and Lore each led with massive riffs (like the one that just started playing in your head), Omens gently unfurls with ethereal keys. It sounds almost like a different band, one unconcerned with immediately grabbing the listener. And why should it be? Elder have nothing to prove. Since 2015 they’ve been deep down a sound rabbit-hole anchored by singer/guitarist Nick DiSalvo’s unique droning riffs and spiraling leads. They are light years ahead of any other stoner rock, a genre in which they only fit by association at this point. On top of that, even within their unique sound they've never made the same record twice. From Dead Roots Stirring each album has moved towards closer towards progressive rock while always maintaining their signature riffing.
After a few listens Omens fits into the Elder catalog. It's easy to hear how the softer elements from The Gold & Silver Sessions blend with the big riffs and circuitous leads. Despite the fit within Elder canon, the approach on Omens isn’t without risk. It’s a much gentler album than any before it. The guitar fuzz is toned back, making the HiWatt amp driven sound even more Pink Floyd-ian, accompanied by keys that are far more prevalent and varied. Reflections of a Floating World flirted with keys, mostly the iconic Mellotron patch “3 violins”, and sometimes slightly awkwardly. Here the keys are woven completely into the compositions giving the album a classic prog rock sound to which the band never fully committed before.
Obviously Omens was recorded before the global pandemic, but this calmer version of Elder is a perfect counterpoint to all the stresses we're coping with. The record ebbs and flows naturally, polishing the harder edges of older releases while still maintaining Elder's almost mystical ability to structure long songs so they feel short and are constantly engaging. It's even mastered more dynamically than before (DR 8), making it a warm, easy-to-listen-to proggy blanket in which to wrap yourself and ride things out. It's the perfect version of Elder for right now.