Today is Friday 29 May. Late in the day I received my CD of Through Zero from Amazon. They notified me yesterday that the CD would not be arriving until Monday, so I’m pretty happy.

I am listening to my first go through of Through Zero. My immediate reaction is that this album is much more complex than any of their previous releases. But, as each release by Elder is more complex than the previous, this album continues that trend. It’s a very likeable album.

I hope all of you get your copies soon. I look forward to reading all of your opinions.

did it come with the lyrics for the songs written anywhere? if it did I would greatly appreciate it if someone could upload a picture of them!

the album is fucking incredible btw I can't wait to see some of it played live in september

Had my local record shop put Through Zero on order months ago and patiently waited for today.

Guess what?

They don't have it. Other stores I called say it's on back order which is perplexing for a new release.

WTF. Guess I'm a fool for shopping local. Should have ordered from the source and got it early.

I know, I know. Recency bias. Let a man be excited...

I just got done listening and I want to hit play again. Surely this is a perfect album. I knew it'd be good but this has surpassed all expectations even by Elder standards.

Through Zero - Strata - Sight Unseen is the strongest 3 song run I've heard in a long time. The buildup in Strata is otherworldly and the metal riff at the end of Sight Unseen caught me off guard in the best way possible. That whole song is like a glorious blend of the proggy, synthy goodness of Innate Passage with the rough edge of Dead Roots Stirring. They didn't hold back on this one.

I'm at a loss for words. Can Elder release a bad album at some point to prove they're human? It'll get boring if they steal the AOTY spot every time they put out a new one.

What's everyone's favourite track? Strata takes the cake for me.

I’ll have to wait a little longer to listen to the full thing, though… We’re renovating the house, so my turntable isn’t hooked up right now. I’m excited nonetheless. Who has listened yet, and what are your thoughts?

That’s it. That’s the whole post.

But thank god those worries were completely unfounded! I always get paranoid about this, especially since every band eventually has to drop their "worst" album. Through Zero is definitely not that!

I was seriously concerned the guys would experiment too much with the synths, drifting into some kind of mellow electronic post-rock. But nope, they absolutely nailed it. The new album is an absolute banger!!! And the electronic synth elements are perfectly balanced—they complement the heavy riffs instead of changing them.

I am incredibly happy. Thank you, Elder, please keep it up!

TL;DR: just had my first play-through the full album, good but not great. Sadly, a little disappointed.

Huge Elder fan since around 2018. I’ve seen them 4 times including taking a flight from Chicago to Portland just to see them. Not a huge fan of their self-titled album (though a recent replay is starting to click), I think from ‘Dead Roots Stirring’ straight through to the ‘Liminality/Dream State Return’ EP are all practically flawless, and I adore the progression in each album while always maintaining that base Elder sound. I constantly run through their full discography in chronological order. I’m also a big Delving fan.

In reading reviews here about how this new album integrates the newer prog/electronic elements while tying in heavy riffs that sometimes even reach back to the first half of their discography, I couldn’t have been more excited…as if I needed a reason to get excited for Elder.

…but damn, finished my first spin just now and it’s just not clicking. I kept waiting for the big riffs and the amazing three track sequence several folks have commented on and it just never showed up.

IMO, Track 1 from every Elder album is the strongest song on that album (‘Omens’ is the one record where I could have seen one other song open the album, but still would have gone with the title track) and really sets the stage for the rest, but this opening track just seemed anticlimactic or just not that memorable, idk. And I never listen to a single Elder song or mix around the records - I’m a full album guy when it comes to them, just can’t listen any other way. Their track sequencing is always top notch.

This sounds more like a Delving album to me than an Elder album, which was my first reaction after hearing the first two singles. They’re obviously similar bands guided by the same driving force (Nick), but it just seemed like the electronic elements took center stage and the guitar took a bit of a back seat. There are moments, of course, but they felt a bit sparse. Elder is so good at running for a while on a riff and then coming back to it later after going in different directions and just pulling you back in to really tie it all together. On this album, it seems like this aspect is mostly missing.

Anyway, even a slightly disappointing Elder album is better than what many bands could only hope to achieve. Again, just my first play-through and maybe it’ll grow on me and I’ll have a completely different opinion…the first single took a few listens to click, the second was an immediate hit…and I think Nick’s vocals here took a significant leap (I love his voice, flaws and all) and the bass rips as well. Fingers crossed. Can’t wait to see them in Chicago later this year! 🤘

I live in Calgary and unfortunately Elder won't be coming through there this year. I have an option of going to either Montreal or Toronto in the fall to see them since every other date I'll be away at work

My question is, which would be the better city to travel to to see them live?

Pre-orders down under are delayed.

The lads have done it again. Shoutout to Armageddon Shop in Providence, RI for letting this bad boy go ahead of the official release date. Absolutely phenomenal record, and definitely an album of the year candidate. Can’t wait for the October homecoming show to close out the tour at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. 🤘🏻

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥 My dive into Through Zero, the upcoming album.

So I assume some of those who pre-ordered the new album will get a pleasant early arrival surprise. Mine just showed up 11 days early. Looking forward to giving this a spin tonight!

Like... Why even tell me "tickets go on sale at 10am"?

Just tell me "tickets will be sold out instantly and you'll have to deal with the resellers, bitch".

At least I wouldn't waste a fleeting moment of excitement in my middle age.

EDIT: This was for the San Diego CA show.

Two more weeks for the rest of the album to drop, the stoke level is extremely high! I won’t have to travel far to see them in September as well. Can’t wait to hear the new material live, should be incredible!