“I spend more time writing emails than playing guitar these days. That really bums me out. I’m trying to bring the joy back into creation”: Elder’s Through Zero is a bid to balance conflict and resolution
Elder’s seventh album, Through Zero, is presented as a renewed creative statement from the psych-rock band after frontman Nick DiSalvo experienced burnout following 2022’s Innate Passage. DiSalvo says the pressures of administration had displaced the pleasure of making music, and the record seeks to restore that sense of joy while exploring balance between conflict and resolution.
The album continues Elder’s evolution after DiSalvo moved from Boston to Berlin, a change that helped reshape the group from 2015’s Lore onwards into progressive rock with stoner-rock elements. Known for expansive songs that develop gradually, the band use Through Zero to examine DiSalvo’s personal place in the world while extending the musical direction established on their recent records.
- Through Zero follows DiSalvo’s post-album burnout.
- Elder seek renewed joy and creative balance.
- The album continues their prog and stoner-rock evolution.
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Elder are a rock band led by guitarist and singer Nick DiSalvo. They began in the United States and became known for long, heavy songs influenced by stoner rock, a style built around loud guitars and slow, weighty rhythms.
Over time, the group’s sound has moved towards progressive rock, which often uses more complex song structures and changing musical ideas. DiSalvo’s move from Boston to Berlin was part of this period of change, with albums such as 2015’s Lore helping establish the newer direction.
The band’s recent work has combined heavy riffs with more melodic and atmospheric passages. Their music often develops slowly, moving between tense, forceful sections and calmer or more reflective ones.