On a rainy day, all one wants is the coziness of a home. The fireplace lit, a low-light ambience, and perhaps, a vinyl record playing in the background with some chill music. Maybe, even, some comfort food to warm and delight, as the rain pours outside, the beautiful droplets hitting the windows in a soothing rhythm. But last Tuesday was not just a simple rainy day; it marked the return of Elder to Portugal. After performing in the country quite a few times, the last of them being at SonicBlast 2023, it was time for the progressive stoner metal quartet to make a stop in Lisbon (and another in Porto, the following day), with their latest full-length, Innate Passage, in the backpack. And so, we braved the flooded streets of Lisbon to reach RCA Club, where the gig would take place. But before Elder made their way onto the stage, we would witness another, quite interesting band.
Arriving to the sound of Aphex Twin’s “Untitled #7” (unofficially named “curtains” by the IDM master’s fanbase), Braga’s own heavy psych rock outfit Travo didn’t spend much time with formalities. After sharing a cold one on stage, they quickly immersed themselves in their unique, high-octane sound, pounding the ears of the audience with a thunderous rhythm section, chaotic guitars and intense vocals. Presenting their latest release, Astromorph God, which they played in full, Travo almost never relented from their barrage of incredible riffs, even causing a mosh pit during their last song, “Turn to the Sun”. An amazing start for the night.
We’ve seen and talked about (and to) Elder quite a few times before. Their first gig in Portugal, at SonicBlast 2017, while having taken place before our founding, was witnessed by all our members. In fact, we attended all the stops they made in the country since then, whether in a headlining context back in 2018, or playing at festivals such as the aforementioned SonicBlast, as well as Amplifest. Suffice to say, we are big fans of the work that vocalist/guitarist Nick DiSalvo, guitarist and keyboardist Mike Risberg, bassist Jack Donovan, and drummer Georg Edert (and Matt Couto before him) have delivered over the years, and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of their return to Lisbon as a headlining act. Coming on stage to the sound of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”, which was incredibly apropos, Elder greeted the audience with “In Procession”, from Omens, which was immediately followed by the enormous “Thousand Hands”, from Reflections of a Floating World. If the crowd was already enthused after seeing Travo, the ultimate climax was reached during Elder’s immaculate performance. Beautiful prog melodies were intertwined with ultraheavy riffs, accompanied by blistering, yet precise drumming, groovy-as-fuck bass lines, and the wonderfully intoxicating vocals of DiSalvo.
“Merged in Dreams – Ne Plus Ultra”, from their aforementioned latest full-length, followed suit, and afterwards came the glorious “Compendium”, from their best record, Lore. And we don’t say that just because we share our name with it, by the way, although that is a partial reason. The fact of the matter is that the crowd erupted during this song like we have never seen before, bringing their best air guitar and headbanging techniques. It was a majestic thing to behold. Capitalizing on that feeling, Elder then played “Falling Veil”, another fan favourite, before returning to Innate Passage for “Catastasis. Before the end, the band thanked the audience and promoters for having them once again and selling out the venue, promising to return in the near future. And not wanting to leave before giving the audience a sweet dessert of a song, Elder went back to their sophomore record, Dead Roots Stirring, and played the seminal “Gemini”, ending the show in spectacular fashion. As we left RCA Club with our souls filled with joy, webraved the rainfall once again, making our way back home as safe as possible. Another great night with great riffs, surrounded by great friends, as it should always be.
Words by Alexandra Ramos
Photos by Filipe Silva
