Elodea “Voyager” CD/LP

After a four-year wait, Slovenian outfit Elodea returned last year with "Voyager" (released by Storm Inside Records), and I'm way behind on covering this thing. Don't be fooled by the fact that only five songs are present, as the album's total running time is damn near an hour (Opener "Becoming One With the Desert" is one of two tracks that tops 14 minutes!) of brooding metal heavily rooted in the "Neur-Isis" type of sound. That being said, the "Neur-Isis" tag can be an insult as easily as a compliment, and I'm generally not a particular fan of that style, so I want to clarify that it's just a loose jumping off point as far as Elodea's concerned. There are plenty of those thick, churning power chords; harshly shouted vocals; somber clean passages and bits of melody; a few droning wails of feedback or subtle experimental noise/synth textures; and just a little bit of that shimmery post-rock stuff. But there are also some completely raging riffs loaded with weird ascending/descending patterns and surging bends reminiscent of Intronaut's earliest (and best) work—not to mention awesome drumming that generally carries a surprisingly relaxed flow with lots of killer little cymbal flourishes and such. Having Starkweather's Rennie Resmini contribute vocals and lyrics to the entirety of "Fraction of the Whole" is an absolutely incredible touch, too! Overall there are a number of very comparable bands out there, but I absolutely feel that Elodea strikes a stronger balance between these varying influences, thus creating a much more powerful atmosphere that also carries over nicely into their lyrics and imagery.

Elodea "Polymers are Forever" (excerpt)

When forever slowly degrades and colors of life start to fade we wonder what matters and what will remain this artificial emptiness we dully sustain slaves to materia, architects of inferia the center of the universe or a ring of bacteria?

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Elodea (CD)
Elodea (LP)