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ELDER
Live At BBC Maida Vale Studios
Stickman Records

Well, if you weren't already aware that ELDER has cemented their place as one of the most epic, genre-defying forces in the heavy music scene, Live at Maida Vale is here to slap you upside the head and remind you.

Recorded in the hallowed halls of the BBC's Maida Vale studios, this live session captures ELDER in their purest form - a band that's evolved far beyond their early Stoner-Doom roots. Gone are the days of straightforward, fuzz-laden jams. What we have now is a mature, progressive psych-rock powerhouse, dripping with atmosphere, technicality, and just the right amount of cosmic heaviness.

Kicking off with "Merged in Dreams", the band immediately plunges you into a swirling vortex of intricate guitar harmonies and winding rhythms. The addition of Michael on second guitar for live shows elevates the experience to another plane - it's like you can feel every layer of sound rumbling through your bones, freeing Nick to fully focus on his leads while maintaining that rhythmic beef. By the time they dive into "Lore", their signature song, it's clear they've mastered the art of balancing soaring, melodic crescendos with crushing riffs that hit you like a freight train. And then "Thousand Hands" caps off the set with that classic ELDER blend of meditative trippiness and skull-rattling heaviness. The sense of grandeur and scale here is almost overwhelming - in the best way possible.

The sound quality? Flawless. Crystal clear but raw enough to remind you this is live. Every instrument has room to breathe, from the intergalactic bass grooves to the mind-bending solos. It's rare that a live album sounds this damn good, albeit this is technically a radio session is a somewhat controlled environment that allows more headroom for post-voodoo, but Maida Vale delivers just any great live album and some.

ELDER has been critically acclaimed since Reflections Of A Floating World, but this session feels like a culmination of everything they've been working toward. It's the kind of performance that makes you realize this band isn't just playing music anymore - they've become their own genre. And watching them now, with this expanded lineup, feels like witnessing a band fully ascendant, operating at the height of their power.

If you thought you knew what ELDER was all about, this live album will make you think again. Strap in, space cadet, this ride's only going up.

5.0 Out Of 5.0