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The recent crop of "Doom" bands are on pretty thin ice with me. Trad Doom is just fine, but nowadays there is a tendency for bands of this stripe to verge into Stoner or Sludge, and that is not OK with me at all. But I do have to admit a growing taste for the darker, more mystical bands of the breed like Jex Thoth and Hour of 13. Thus when I get a promo like this I am skeptical, but not without hope. Elder are a US band, and despite my misgivings they are pretty fucking awesome.

You know what to expect here: long, slow groovy songs with heavy riffs and some trippy leadwork. There's nothing new here, that's not the point of this kind of Doom at all. The only question is: do they do what they do well or not? Yes they do. Elder get a cool, tube-amp guitar sound and crush some fearsomely catchy riffs. The leadwork is especially tasty, and is often a highlight of the music. Mystical, fantastical lyric themes assure me that this band is on the right track, and there are even some very cool acoustic breaks here and there. Vocals are often a weak point for bands straying into Stoner country, such as Lamp Of Thoth or Gates Of Slumber — betraying their punk origins with awful singers — but Elder have a nice growly-but-tuneful frontman in guitarist Nick Desalvo. He isn't great, but he adds to the cool atmosphere, and he doesn't detract from the music.

If groovy Black Sabbath worship is your thing, then this is the shit. Not to be missed by fans of the style.