LP Review: "Lore" by Elder

Elder is a power trio hailing from Massachusetts who are pulling off some rather powerful rock on their newest release, Lore.  The album opens with “Compendium,” entrancing us with a pulling of the strings until it punches you in the face with a riff that could have only been given birth to by Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.”  From there on out you get five epic-length songs that feel shorter than they are.  There’s no monotonous droning here.  It’s all meat, no filler.  Distorted, time-changing, fuzzy, melodic meat. 

Though not as chaotic as Baroness, I do hear a bit of them in here mixed with some Torche-like vocals.  The guitar work in Lore is a bit more technical and unpredictable than a lot of their psych/stoner brethren, with even a pinch of some of that dual guitar stuff going on reminiscent of Thin Lizzy and Maiden.  While being a three piece they may not be able to capture that live, this is for your stereo, and for your neighbors should you desire to turn this particular piece of rock up to an unhealthy level, which I highly recommend. 

Oh, and the cover is great for staring into as you're giving Lore a spin.