We are ever talking about evolution when it comes to a band continuously moving forward and growing their catalog as the years pile on, but it’s not all that often that we’re given a band that actually manages to embody the literal concept of evolution in a way that makes such a transformation feel compelling, invigorating, and downright mesmerizing. It’s the sort of occasion that truly demands our attention, for it can easily be the culmination of circumstances that are downright generational in their magnitude. Everything must fall into place perfectly for such a thing. However, and after being in the game for twenty years and constantly seeking new avenues for their vast creativity, Elder surpasses expectations yet again with all that is “Through Zero”.

Creations like this oftentimes stump me when it comes to typing out these reviews. By all accounts, Elder ought to be a band that’s on the radar for any connoisseur of what the modern landscape of heaviness and psychedelia can bring to the table with Elder undoubtedly being one of the need-to-know names in their corner for several years now to the point where they’re damn near inescapable. You likely should know them on quite an intimate level if not at least be aware of them. So, what do I have to say when a band such as this comes around yet again with yet another performance that’s as impactful as it is indicative of all that the name has crafted up to now?

“Through Zero” has already been extensively covered with more coverage sure to arrive after the album’s release, so what else is there for me to say? Oftentimes, and here as well, the answer is simple: realize how we’ve gotten here and what has been accomplished. That’s the bare minimum that an effort of this magnitude deserves with Elder more than earning the right from top to bottom.

If the last few albums from Elder have been anything to learn from, it’s that this act’s exploration through their more progressive tendencies has only been all the more focused and thus stronger as time has gone on. It was 2022’s “Innate Passage” that really showed us how far Elder has already come in its journey and last year’s “Liminality / Dream State Return” EP that showed us the brilliance Elder was once again tapping into, but it is here with “Through Zero” that Elder not only demonstrates how deadly and effective their power has become, but how hypnotic and transformative their sound is down to its core with this performance in particular something that ought to define what magnificence of this kind can offer us in 2026 and beyond.

This is the sort of creation that many bands can only ever dream of crafting. Elder has already proven itself many times over across its two-decade run, yet it is with virtually every aspect of “Through Zero” that the act has only further cemented its well-earned reputation and stupendous aura with only majesty and glory to be had from the moment you step into these six expansive tracks. With much of this record feeling like a single experience divided into distinct chapters, “Through Zero” has a supremely engaging grandeur that keeps you rooted in place hours after becoming lost in these cascading riffs, echoing electronics, and captivating songwriting that all come together for the most perfect storm of psychedelic-laced progressive rock that knows precisely all the right moves to make no matter the occasion with the end result simply electrifying. Each subsequent spin of this masterwork offers a new secret and subtlety to further prove how layered “Through Zero” is for all that it has to offer, and it demands to be made clear as to how much Elder clearly went for it here with the album as a whole a testament to the vision, creativity, and power that Elder has long held.

It’s always tempting to name a new Elder work as one of the most interesting pieces in any given year out of the gate purely because of Elder’s magnificent run up to this point, and the people already making that claim without hearing the full album do not know how right they are! I tend to refrain from such predictions, but there is true magic and splendor to be had within these six tracks to the point where I know good and damn well that “Through Zero” is a drug that I will not tire of any time soon with the arrival of the album sure to signal wave after wave of fans all over the world restating much of what I’ve had to say here.

Elder is once again at the top of their game with this record. I am sure that people will still say that “Lore” is their favorite piece Elder has delivered thus far, but “Through Zero” more than earns a place in the conversation as one of Elder’s absolute finest. If it was with “Liminality / Dream State Return” that Elder gave us just a glimpse and a walkthrough of what was to come then it’s with “Through Zero” that our eyes are ripped wide open as Elder goes for a full sprint to show us what all it’s still capable of after all these years.

“Through Zero” releases on May 29th!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Through Zero” on Bandcamp here.

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