Whew, Elder seem even more Black Sabbath-inspired than most stoner metal bands. Even the vocalist sounds like he’s trying to do his best Ozzy Osbourne impersonation. The guitarist plays slow, lurching Iommi-like riffs, though it seems that his guitar isn’t tuned as low as the legendary guitarist’s. This might make Dead Roots Stirring more “listener friendly” than a Black Sabbath album, but the songs are very long and I personally find myself losing interest in the 50-minute album before it’s over. There’s never much tonal shift and the album lacks any moments of real intensity amongst the indulgent psychedelic passages.

Very much a guitar driven album, for better and worse. While long jammy tracks tend to turn me away, for a person that is into that sort of thing, Dead Roots Stirring may be a hidden gem. At the very least, there are surely few albums more deserving of the “stoner” moniker. Play this one loud and let yourself drift away in the murk.