Elder: Dead Roots Stirring

On their sophomore album, Boston stoner-doom metal trio Elder has expanded their sound from a mere homage to Sleep into a more well-rounded style that covers the gamut of both genres, replete with psychedelic elements that will draw in prog fans in high numbers. Drawing from the best parts of High on Fire, Kyuss, and The Sword, Dead Roots Stirring covers a lot of ground in just five tracks. Packed with impossibly heavy riffs and long instrumental sections punctuated by well-executed vocal sections, this is a sure sign of Elder finally realizing the potential that listeners knew they had since their self-titled debut from 2008.