Almost exactly one year after their last show in Stockholm, Elder came back to the Swedish capital to play again the very same venue, the Slaktkyrkan.
Opening the concert, we have two Swedish bands, Dun Ringill, and Vokonis, both playing a very enjoyable Doom/Stoner Metal which starts the night on the right note.
The first one has three guitarists in their line-up, making their sound pretty solid and powerful; during their performance, the venue is still quite empty, but those who came early seem to have a good time and to enjoy Dun Ringill.
The second band, instead, has only one guitarist but that doesn’t make their gig any less powerful; the sound of Vokonis seems quite similar to Elder’s with some complex structures and nice melodies, and the contraposition between the two singers adds some variety to their songs.
By the end of their performance, the venue is quite crowded, maybe a little more than last year and everyone is in trepidation for the concert of the American band which soon after gets on stage.
Elder starts playing “Compendium” which their fans welcome with enthusiasm: the 10-minute song blends together psychedelia, Prog and Doom in a trippy composition that set the tone for the rest of the show.
Like with many other Stoner bands, Elder play few songs, only eight, but they are all quite long so the concert lasts almost two hours; they are not any Stoner band, however, and their music includes intricated melodies that they play with an accuracy unusual for a Stoner/Doom band.
Instead of a backdrop, behind the drummer psychedelic animations are projected on a sheet, something that reminds of Hawkwind’s shows, a band that is very likely to have influenced Elder, and adds a nice touch to the concert making it more of an all-around experience.
Nick DiSalvo, the frontman, only speaks a few times to thank the audience and to briefly remind of last year’s show: the interaction with the crowd is kept at a minimum and the focus is on the music, the best possible choice for a genre that just calls for the listeners to close their eyes and to let the mind wander without too many thoughts.
The setlist includes songs from the last three albums and one from the new EP “The Gold & Silver Session”, and saw “The Falling Veil” as the second-last song of the night; after having played it the band leaves briefly the stage but returns soon after, called back by the crowd’s screams, for a final song, “Gemini”.
The show is yet-another confirmation that Elder is one of the most interesting bands to come out of the Stoner/Doom scene in recent years, having a great personality and songwriting skills, but also the ability to put on awesome live shows.
All Photos by Davide Sciaky
ELDER
