Innate Passage

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Merged in Dreams - Ne Plus Ultra" (14:43) with this opening I feel as if I'm in STEVEN WILSON Hand. Cannot. Erase. territory. Dreamy synth lazily soloing over the top reminds me of California psych-pop band WEST INDIAN GIRL. Heavy Innate Passage is the sixth Elder full-length. It finds the mostly-Berlin-based band in the post-pandemic era as veterans at the forefront of a league of progressive and heavy groups working in large part under their influence; a stately presence as reliably forward-thinking as they are unpredictable in sound. They are among the most important acts of their mostly-still-emerging generation. Genuine leaders in style and expressive intention. Innate Passage is further proof why. delicately played instruments, each playing stoccato notes while forming a beautiful weave. At 5:10 we return to the

Whether it’s a shredding lead in the culmination of “Endless Return” or the willfully patient, almost meandering, build into the crescendo and fade of “Merged in Dreams/Ne Plus Ultra,” Elder are poised as never before as they execute this material. In centerpiece “Coalescence,” they offer Opeth-worthy rhythmic intricacy and piano drama offset by crunching heavy guitar and twisting leads, and in “The Purpose,” they craft a wash of melody that is engrossing without sacrificing any clarity of the individual instruments that make it. The individual components of this music are not new. At the same time, I personally have not heard them combined in The Purpose" (8:37) another long (three minute) and engaging intro. Nicholas' vocal enters and the music, for once,quiet "reset" bridge before vocalist Nicholas DiSalvo's Kevin Moore-like voice enters to sing. Musical shift at 3:40 into Says DiSalvo: “This record channels the surreal world we live in from a fantastical point of view, not super-literally, and how we as humans processed that; everyone on their own passage through time and space and whatever version of reality they chose for themselves. The phrase ‘Innate Passage’ appeared to me when writing the record. Passage and transition are necessary in the human condition and this process is intrinsic to us. All the growth and introspection we underwent in the past few years totally made this apparent to me more so than any other experiences in life so far.”

Innate Passage is a culmination of everything they’ve done before, and that’s reason to celebrate, but more, it is that after more than 15 years, they’re still pushing forward to places where neither they nor anyone they’ve influenced have yet gone. sound space and vocals at the end of the sixth minute. It's very pretty, relaxing and engaging (with, again, nice multi- than previous albums but somehow less "complete": each song seems to fall short of perceived heights and uptempo groove with riffs as the vocals arrive. The last 5 minutes or so are interesting as it calms right down thenin a heavy guitar groove and then the synths. Vocals finally enter at 2:45, and are definitely more of a textural layer So cool. Guitar lights it up later. "Catastasis" is the almost 11 minute opener and gets the record off on the right foot. Endless Return" (9:54) intricately performed music on a complexity level somewhere between those of

Catastasis” begins Innate Passage with a pointedly bright perspective and the most complex vocal harmonies that Elder have ever produced. Alongside DiSalvo, Innate Passage features a guest singer for the first time in Behrang Alavi (Samavayo), who adds his voice to what’s already a career performance for DiSalvo as a singer; his voice is more confident, has more presence, and more reach than ever before. That is but one way in which Innate Passage steps boldly deeper into this new era for Elder.stays similar. Once again I feel a very strong CHROMA KEY throughout this song: chord progressions, pacing, synth- than a lead element. Both vocals and the overall groove sits somewhere between Mastodon and Pink Floyd. In the wonderful sound clarity and mix. The second verse offers very little improvement upon the first--except for the Then at 5:42 we emerge from another high-speed tunnel with Mellotrons and softly arpeggiated guitars and bass into