BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition August 2018

ELDER
RIDING THE WINDS OF CHANGE TO STRANGER HORIZONS
BRAYDEN TURENNE
The progressive doomslayers’ latest album is a riff-infused odyssey through alternate sonic dimensions.
“Writing music is a cathartic and gratifying
experience for me,” says Nick DiSalvo, guitarist
and vocalist for Elder. “Being creative is the best
way we can express ourselves in the world, and
music is a beautiful tool that makes us feel alive.
We play the music we do because we like it, and
hopefully our listeners also feel moved.”
It could be argued that Elder’s latest fulllength
opus, Reflections of a Floating World – an
expansive, riff-infused odyssey through alternate
sonic dimensions, both heavy and stunningly
beautiful – was one of the high points of music in
2017. The band has come a long way from having
once reveled in the stylings of doom. They now
offer something more ethereal and progressive,
crafting epic length songs that are expansive and
ever-changing.
“We got bored of the doom/stoner shtick,” says
DiSalvo. “It became uninteresting to play the old
songs, and we naturally started writing music that
is a bit more ‘out there.’ We’ve always had pretty
broad musical pallets and eventually more and
more of those influences from outside the world
of stoner rock started creeping in.”
This gradual evolution of Elder’s music has
resulted in a colourful discography that reflects
the natural course of time, but one thing that
seems to have remained constant is where that
22
inspiration comes from.
“I find it hard to separate any singular daily
experience from our songwriting,” DiSalvo
explains. “As a result, most of the lyrics on
the past three albums have revolved around
existential questions.” This gives further credence
to the music, in its contemplative unfolding of
undeniable grooves and riffs.
It seems like only recently that Elder visited to
hypnotize the masses – their last North American
tour was in October of last year, followed by a run
through Europe. Now, Vancouver is the first stop
on yet another North American tour.
“We absolutely love touring,” says DiSalvo
plainly, despite the lifestyle not always being what
it’s cracked up to be.
“Some people imagine touring is non-stop
action, but it couldn’t be further from the truth,”
he continues. “Most of each day is spent sitting in
a van or backstage in a venue. But we also get a
serious itch if we’re off the road for too long. You
can get very caught up in your head if you’re only
writing music for yourself and forget about the
absolute joy of playing for a live audience. Not to
mention we’re lucky to get to travel a lot, which is
in itself inspiring.”
Elder play the Astoria (Vancouver) on August 10.
DEAFHEAVEN
ATMOSPHERIC PROGRESSIVE BLACK-METAL HYBRID FEELS ORDINARY CORRUPT HUMAN LOVE
JEEVIN JOHAL
Remember when the first Tony Hawk game came
out for PlayStation and you were all like, “How
can they possibly make this game any better?!”
Then they blew your mind by adding manuals
and reverts in “2” and “3,” making your grinds
even more epic. By the time the fourth game
came out, the creators had more or less perfected
the platform, allowing them to focus on more
elaborate levels and tricks. It sounds a lot like the
trajectory of San Francisco band Deafheaven, who
keep one-upping themselves with every release,
and are receiving “sick scores” for their new album
Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, the fourth, and
arguably most experimental in their ever-evolving
discography.
Deafheaven is insanely tight. It isn’t unordinary
for moments of chaotic personal turmoil to
suddenly transition to more melodic and subdued
moments of serenity, and although the darker
moments still exist on Ordinary Corrupt Human
Love, the band has taken to exploring more of the
latter.
“We had the concept that the world needed
something more positive at this time. Not so dark
anymore,” explains guitarist Shiv Mehra. Given the
current political state of the world, specifically that
of the United States, it’s no wonder the gloomy
quintet strove to create something less opaque.
Mehra, born in Kenya, emigrated to America
with his family when he was 12 years old, and it’s
no question that the America he resides in today
doesn’t make it any easier on immigrants.
“I grew up in Africa, and when I came to the
States, I guess I never really fit in, in any normal
situation,” confesses Mehra. However, like many
of us, this difficulty to immediately reform to the
norm, would be the key ingredient in forging a
Their evolving sound is a trajectory.
lifelong passion for all things metal. “Somehow the
punk and metal kids were easier to hang out with,
so I just picked up a guitar.”
Mehra’s father would be the one to bestow his
first axe upon him, and now that he’s got some
chops, he’s joined forces with Dunable Guitars to
create a Jeff Lynne inspired beauty of a six-string
that will join him on Deafheaven’s current tour.
“[Lynne] is one of my favourites, and he used
that guitar back in the ‘80s,” Mehra nerds out.
Despite often being classified firstly as a black
metal band, the influences on Mehra and company
are vast, and this is a huge part of what makes their
albums so exciting to listen to. Follow the band’s
other guitarist Kerry McCoy on Instagram, and
his t-shirt collection alone will paint a portrait of
where some of their wild ideas come from.
On Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, Deafheaven
continues to challenge themselves and their
listeners. One of the most notable expressions of
this is on the Chelsea Wolfe featured track “Night
People,” where singer George Clark rests his iconic
screech, opting for a subtler singing style.
“I do think for George, it was stepping out of
his comfort zone,” explains Mehra. What was
recorded is one of the band’s most subdued and
unique tracks, and proof that their experiments are
working.
In conclusion, Deafheaven is excellent at
producing albums that, although experimental,
retain focus and allow them to create cohesive
and artistic packages of amazing tunes that flow
organically together.
Deafheaven plays the Imperial (Vancouver) on
August 10th.
August 2018