Sometimes the best step forward is a glance backward, and that is exactly what the members of Elder have done with their latest release, Liminality / Dream State Return.
Released in September, the extended play is a revision and recontextualization of previously unreleased material, drastically reconstructed with the aim of expanding the band’s wider vision.
“For us, the project represents a picture of Elder in a transitory space,” the group said on Bandcamp. “Liminality / Dream State Return explores the idea of the space in between states of development; the lyrics were written mostly in a stream of consciousness while the song unfolded.”
Elder is singer and lead guitarist Nick DiSalvo, bassist Jack Donovan, guitarist and keyboardist Michael Risberg, and drummer Georg Edert.
Since releasing their self-titled debut in 2009, Elder has become a pillar of its chosen post-rock and metal hybrid, blending heaviness with elements of psychedelic and progressive rock. The band is known for intricate compositions that stretch far beyond traditional radio-friendly formats.
The new project is a moment of reflection and fresh experimentation.
Liminality / Dream State Return marks the group’s first release since 2022’s Innate Passage. The material is derived from compositions originally drafted during the making of Innate Passage and 2020’s Omens but left unused.
“We decided it would be good to pick up a shelved project from years past as an excuse to get back in the saddle playing together,” the band said.
The extended play began to take shape in the winter of 2024, when the band members returned to their home base in Berlin after a sabbatical and an extensive period of touring.
“Meeting together in the studio, we reworked the song and were surprised to see the session growing longer and longer as we jammed out into infinity,” the group said. “The result is a unique bit of Elder that has one foot in the past and one in the future.”
Liminality / Dream State Return is another bold entry in the group’s catalog, offering a dense wall of sound and a deeply progressive core.
Presented as two songs with a total runtime just shy of 20 minutes, the recording is filled with seamless transitions and distinctive guitar tones that pair with classic synthesizers.
With even more confidence and precision than before, Elder continues to refine its blend of heavy and progressive music, carrying forward motifs established by the genre’s forebears, who first fused rock-and-roll instrumentation with synthesizers decades ago.
The release likely offers a glimpse of the group’s next full-length album, expected in early 2026.
If so, listeners have plenty to look forward to.
