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Review: Elder/Pallbearer/Irist, Fleece
Hailing from Chile, Argentina and Brazil, via Atlanta, Irist are on their first European tour as the opening act on this big-value, covid-delayed package. Their South American roots suggest a voyage into Sepultura/Soulfly territory, with plenty of Latin rhythms. There’s certainly some of this, courtesy of a tremendous drummer. But they’re mostly a tight and precise modern metal band of no fixed sub-genre, with a strong command of the loud-quiet thing and plenty of atmospherics amid the bludgeon. There are hints of Gojira and Lamb of God here, though they wisely seems intent on forging their own identity.
The running order seems a little odd tonight. Although it’s billed as a co-headlining show, Pallbearer surely have the higher profile in this country. They’ve recently been out on tour reviving their debut album Sorrow and Extinction on the occasion of its 10th anniversary. And sure enough, the Little Rock quartet open with an epic Foreigner from that very album. “We’re going to play a lot of different shit tonight,” announces bassist Joseph Rowland. So they head straight into their latest, proggiest album Forgotten Days with the title track. Always one of the more muscular and visceral bands in the doom metal underworld, their big chunky riffs deliver firm punches to the solar plexus, with guitarist Brett Campbell’s high, keening vocals perched atop the Sabbathy churn. Silver Wings and the magnificent Caledonia prove to be the highlights, reminding us that we’ve waited an awfully long time to hear the Forgotten Days album performed live. It’s back to Sorrow and Extinction for the closing Given to the Grave – 10 relentless minutes of primal doom that delights the capacity crowd.
Recently relocated to Berlin from Massachusetts, Elder serve up fewer powerchords than Pallbearer but remain mightily impressive. It’s easy to see why they appeal to greybeards, since there’s something decidedly old-school about their distinctive brand of stoner/psych/prog and yet nothing sounds derivative and there’s no point at which you could say: “That sounds like band X”. The soaring guitar interplay between Nick DiSalvo and Mike Risberg is, as always, a joy to behold. So lengthy are their compositions that Elder only have time to play half-a-dozen of them in their allotted 70 minutes, with recent release Omens and the career-defining Reflections of a Floating World albums dominating the set. There’s no encore, but the distinctive guitar figure introducing Sanctuary brings the show to a glorious conclusion.
is needed now More than ever
If this were a contest, it would be a challenge to identify a winner. It’s more a celebration of two great bands whose musical paths have slowly converged as they embrace the joys of prog while never letting go of their roots.
Main pic of Pallbearer: Nuclear Blast
Read more: Metal & Prog Picks: November 2022
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