the delightful taste of killer rare Tapes : "demos + live" ELDER

It took a rather long while to arrive but I finally have received my special TAPES order from Acid Punx with Ice Dragon (both first album and "the sorrowful sun" ) and a few others I should write about shortly... I love tapes, that sound is very special here too and the product itself is so different. As I already wrote it in that post about Acid Punx rds, this pack also of course included ELDER "demos + live", a special limited edition of 100 handnumbered copies (it's written that this is a 1st pressing, so there could be more). 

Well, if you already have read my review about "dead roots stirring" (here) you may then remember how I was impressed by the amazing evolution of the trio between their (honest and promising) 1st album and this little jewel; now listening to this demo, I could even add that in 4 years (this demo was recorded in 2007) ELDER has evoluted in an impressive  and exceptionnal way... a rising trajectory that deserves an infinite respect.

In fact the gap crossed between both albums was more in musical terms, while the gap between the demo and 1st album is more relative to the vocals which are here (on the 3 songs of the demo) very primar, raw and in fact almost sludge for the most parts; honestly they are pretty average to my ears and   I would say that fortunatelyNick DiSalvo found quickly its way for something far more catchy and homogeneous with the music.

Even if some nice original ideas have already matured, the music (let's remind it : on this 1st effort from a young starting band) is  more than ever influenced by Sleep and we just can hear here and there a few premises of this intense taste for long psychedelic jaming. Two years later, 1st album had already shown more personnality which was more than confirmed on "Dead Roots Stirring" last year !!!

Considering this, maybe you could think that this tape isn't worth checking out.... you would be wrong, first because none of these songs is on the 1st album, so if you're a real fan, 3 unreleased songs  ("1162", "Red Sunrise" and "Black Midnight") from Elder is a sufficient argument in itself :) but there's also 2 live songs as kind of bonus  : "Gemini" (at Stoner Hands of Doom 2009, have a look on the video !!!) and "Riddle of Steel" (2010), both with a correct sound and  giving a good idea of ELDER's evolution over the years. Let me remember you that we speak here about one of the HEAVIEST bands of the Psychedelic Stoner Rock genre, he he he ! 

Knowing that they actually tour the States quite intensively and listening this makes me think and strongly hope they'll come in Europe next year, why not at Roadburn where they were programmed a few times between the end of soundchecks and the beginning of bands set on the main stage... ? that would be awesome ;) Now that I got this tape and their tour is about to end, I'm gonna work on that interview !

Get this while there's some left at : http://acidpunx.angelfire.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elder/238458929529339

OUT now on ACID PUNX rds : ICE DRAGON 1st unreleased album + ELDER demos + 70's Obscure rarities and more ... !!!

Here's a focus on a fantastic TAPE-label that deserves your particular attention : ACID PUNX Records...

This is just a presentation of the tapes (which -for a great part - I've personally ordered a couple of days ago), but I felt it was urgent to share the infos, as all those tapes are edited in very limited quantities, so hurry up if you wanna be the lucky owner from one of those delicious goodies !!!

 
You certainly have heard/read something about A.P. recently through the almighty ICE DRAGON which announced the release on Tape of "the Sorrowful Sun" through them, but that is NOT all... !!!
Indeed Acid Punx is pleased to offer you Ice Dragon's never before released, self-titled, debut album! Laid down in the winter of 2007, these tracks define what Ice Dragon would ultimately become, which is one of the most original traditional doom bands recording today. We don't expect this title to stay in stock long, so pick one up before it's absorbed by the sands of time!
Tracks: 1. Wasted Nights 2. Cubenis Envy 3. So Far Away It Has No End
4. Shiny Side Up, Dirty... 5. I Might Be Gone 6. Fire and Stone
7. Drawn into the Fog 8. When You Stop By

Acid Punx adheres to very strict standards when it comes to present day releases. Their catalog, for the most part, is steeped in the 1970s, so anything "modern" that they release must be worthy of the past. ELDER, as it happens, is worthy. These demos, recorded in 2007, show the band formulating a sound that would inevitably carry them into their last two albums. The live tracks, recorded in 2009 and 2010, provide an insight into the awesome power Elder possesses when blasting out in front of live audiences. Slightly psychedelic, very heavy, this release is a must for traditionalists, not to mention fans of Elder.

Tracks: 1. 1162    2. Red Sunrise 3. Black Midnight 4. Gemini (Live) 5. Riddle of Steel (Live)



V/A "Do What Thou Wilt: Occult Psychedelia 1970-74"

Originally released on vinyl in 2011 and limited to only 200 copies, this comp was virtually sold-out before it ever left the pressing plant. But, lucky for you, "Do What Thou Wilt" is back, this time on cassette! Chronicling four years of England's musical underbelly, this release dives deep to uncover some of the best lost acetates, demonic demos, and other hard rockin' oddities of the time. Don't be scared! Well, maybe just a little bit.

Tracks:

1. Camelot - Time Around Me
2. Pony - I'm a Mover
3. Shado - Evil City
4. Heatwave - 999
5. Grind - Rip Off
6. Sioux - Warlove
7. Sardonicus - Nymph
8. Yellow - The Hobo Song
9. Sardonicus - Evaporated...
10. Tonge - Looking at the...
11. Wooden Lion - Rise of...
12. Grind - Earth Song
13. Bare Soul - Flash
14. Unicorn - Another World
15. Lucifer - Fuck You

ÄTMAN-ACRON "108 Luciferian Neutronic Eyes"

Tracks: 1. Apprentice of the Black... 2. Emperors of the Immortal...
Bonus track: 3. A National Acrobat

This single saw a very limited vinyl release in 2011, so we thought it was high time to have a very limited cassette version done up...Atman agreed. Better still, this release includes a bonus track of the band playing around with Sabbath's "A National Acrobat" during a rehearsal! Needless to say, very few modern day bands make the cut here at Acid Punx, so you should have a pretty good idea of what you're getting into with this one. Pick it up before it's gone!

SANDOZ "Sandoz"

Tracks: 1. Apple Core Machine  2. I Ain't Strong  3. Demi-God

Dating back to 1971, these are the only known recordings of Sandoz and they are being issued here in their original "unpolished" state for the first time ever! Sandoz was the brainchild of John Goodsall (Atomic Rooster) and his vision was HEAVY. Straight fuzz, deep thumps, animal beats, these tracks are heavy duty and not one of them falls under 8 minutes in length. A must for fans of Edgar Broughton Band.


Check out the label's site for details on their other releases : rarities from other 70's obscure gems like DEATH "Politicians in My Eyes/Keep on Knockin'" (US -1976-), SUCK "Time to Suck" (South Afrika - 1970), GRAND THEFT "Grand Theft" (US - 1972)...

http://acidpunx.angelfire.com/

"Dead Roots Stirring" by ELDER

Some evolutions are sometimes rather disconcerting, but, as long as it's positively, I don't mind at all... Is it maturity, new meetings or influences, or just life experiences that have pushed Nick DiSalvo to change so drastically his approach of Stoner ? maybe a bit of that all, but in all cases it would have been a shame not to materialize them through this stunning "Dead Roots Stirring" !

It's not that ELDER was just another Stoner/Doom band that released an honest 1st album, but it's like a kind of cosmic transfiguration touched him by the grace of  a divine psychedelic wizard ! Ok, that's a bit exagerated cause their self-titled debut contained some nice pieces like "Riddle of Stell pt1" or "Ghost Head" that were already eying on psychedelic fields and shown above the average musical abilities, but the crushingness and too obvious Sleepian influences have almost disappeared here now, in favor of a more progressive style, more luminous, completely unrestrained, full of enchanting melodies and psychedelia  ...

Is this really still STONER ? Yes by its warm heaviness and  a delightful reminiscence of Doomed epicness in  some aesthetic moods, some Sabbathian riffage here and there are also as catchy as the cover is beautiful and intriguing, but definitely  Heavy-Rock and Psychedelic influences from outter-space have overrided what remain just as foundations.

Then it's not easy to compare them with others, it could be a more improvising and intricate Brant Bjork in his early works here and then Colour Haze there or a more "disciplined" and emotional Earthless in the most jamed-out parts... This is the kind of such rich and subtle stuff that you feel each listening reveal something new, but believe me after just one listening nobody can deny the fact that with this sophomore album ELDER plays in a new (higher) category, not just musically with a considerably enriched style but also in terms of production (the contribution of Clay Neeli from Black Pyramid is huge), tightness and identity.

In fact I should have had this album a few months ago when it came out, but made a mistake and ordered the first instead ! it took me a while to repair this mistake that didn't give justice to the band , cause I would have surely included "Dead Roots Stirring" in my Faves List of 2011 !!!

Now, let's hope that ELDER gets more exposure  (shit, how can such a talentuous band have only about 600 likes on FB ?!!!) and carry on this stunning dynamic... After the new BLACK PYRAMID here's another monster of an album again released by Dave and Melanie from METEORCITY, thanx and keep on buddies, we need you ;)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elder/238458929529339
get the album here through All That Is Heavy / Meteorcity :
http://www.allthatisheavy.com/info.asp?item_num=ATH-8699