Album Review – Elder / Through Zero (2026)

The leaders of Heavy Psychedelic Rock take their years of experience and form their most engaging record to date, allowing seeds from outside the sphere of rock music to take root and bloom within their progressive framework.

Consisting of frontman and lead guitarist Nick DiSalvo, bassist Jack Donovan, guitarist and keyboardist Michael Risberg, and drummer Georg Edert, formed in Massachusetts, in the United States, but currently located in Berlin, Germany, Heavy Psychedelic Rock band Elder is back with their seventh studio album, titled Through Zero, the follow-up to their 2022 opus Innate Passage. Two decades into their existence, Elder remain an anomaly in the underground rock scene, a rare band with the ability to absorb and shed influences from a myriad of genres without falling into pastiche or losing their own identity, and their new record is a strong reaffirmation of a commitment to pushing boundaries in the world of Heavy Rock and cements the group’s status as leaders of the pack in Heavy Psychedelic Rock. Recorded in Berlin across several months between tours in 2025, and the first album which the band not only produced but also co-mixed together with longtime collaborator Richard Behrens, Through Zero sounds more like a full extension of the band’s creative intentions than ever before.

It’s always a bold move to kick off an album with a ten-minute song like Sigil To Ruin, I mean, will the listener stay hooked? Well, in this case I can guarantee you won’t get bored at all, with the bass by Jack hammering your heads mercilessly while Nick delivers delicate yet piercing vocals nonstop. Capture & Release is another very detailed and enfolding aria by those guys, with its whimsical start morphing into a feast of Progressive Rock and Metal led by the intricate beats and fills by Georg; while the title-track Through Zero brings to our avid ears an overdose of psychedelia flowing from the riffs by Nick and Mike, alternating between atmospheric passages and sheer progressive madness. Strata, the longest song of the album, kicks off to the classy bass by Jack while also presenting multiple layers and nuances, with Nick’s vocals overflowing energy and passion; and it’s time for the most psychedelic of all songs, titled Sight Unseen, while still presenting their Heavy Metal vein. Furthermore, Jack and Georg are relentless with their respective bass and drums. And lastly, we’re treated to the introspective outro Blighted Age, turning the ambience into fields of serenity thanks to the song’s soothing guitars and minimalist beats.

In their new album, Elder takes their years of experience and forms possibly their most immediate and engaging record to date, while allowing seeds from outside the sphere of rock music to take root and bloom within their progressive framework, being therefore highly recommended for fans of Earthless, Truckfighters, Electric Wizard, The Sword, Sleep, Kylesa, Pallbearer, Monolord, and YOB, among several others. If you want to join them in their unique journey through the lands of psychedelia and progressiveness, you can find them on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their music on Spotify, and put your hands on their new album via BandCamp or by clicking HERE. Rock N’ Roll has never been heavier and crazier, and we must thank bands like Elder for releasing albums like Through Zero and, therefore, for making our world a much more pleasant place.

Best moments of the album: Sigil To Ruin and Strata.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Blues Funeral Recordings

Track listing
1. Sigil To Ruin 10:34
2. Capture & Release 8:48
3. Through Zero 9:06
4. Strata 10:48
5. Sight Unseen 8:51
6. Blighted Age 5:49

Band members
Nick DiSalvo – vocals, guitars
Mike Risberg – guitars, keyboards
Jack Donovan – bass
Georg Edert – drums