01) Elder, Omens (Armageddon Shop)
I’d dug Elder’s sludgy stoner rock in the past, but really hadn’t followed them all that closely for the last few years. That changed in a big way with Omens. Proggy and stoner stuff always catches my ear, and as a keyboard player and synth enthusiast, the addition of tons of keys and synth made my ears perk up from the first note, and it’s not done at the expense of the songs. An album clocking in at close to an hour over five songs, there’s a lot of focus on the musicianship over the vocals, but the vocals are still strong as well. I found myself listening to this more than anything else this year, particularly, the album’s highlight, “Halcyon.”
I’d dug Elder’s sludgy stoner rock in the past, but really hadn’t followed them all that closely for the last few years. That changed in a big way with Omens. Proggy and stoner stuff always catches my ear, and as a keyboard player and synth enthusiast, the addition of tons of keys and synth made my ears perk up from the first note, and it’s not done at the expense of the songs. An album clocking in at close to an hour over five songs, there’s a lot of focus on the musicianship over the vocals, but the vocals are still strong as well. I found myself listening to this more than anything else this year, particularly, the album’s highlight, “Halcyon.”
Key Track: “Halcyon”
Honorable Mentions and/or I Should’ve Listened To These More: Pallbearer, Intronaut, Black Dahlia Murder
Other Stuff On Napalm I Dug: DevilDriver, Aether Realm, Warfect, Mushroomhead
