LORE

We've all heard the refrain before: rock n' roll, or "guitar," music is long dead and actually still dying. Cliché as it may be, the claim is backed up by the Billboard numbers. Those rock acts that do manage to top the charts, acts like Coldplay and Imagine Dragons, have grown to use the guitar and the traditional trappings of rock as an accessory to music that is increasingly electronic based. Wittingly or not, Nick DiSalvo, the front man and, on this record, sole guitarist of Elder, has stepped up to prove that the almighty riff is still King. Armed with a monster stoner rock guitar tone and a killer rhythm section, the album's 5 sprawling tracks aim to take the listener on a journey across colorful and ambitious soundscapes, a feat made all the more impressive given the core ensemble of musicians is essentially a power trio. Rock may have died in the mainstream. Independent progressive metal revived it.