The big question is, have Elder been resting on their Lore-els since their last mind blowing album? Admittedly Reflections of a Floating World may sound like a case of copy and paste at first, but this album has plenty of tricks up its long and lustrous sleeves. Opener 'Sanctuary' pretty much does the same job as 'Compendium' did on Lore of setting the tone of lengthy, undulating tracks punctuated with metallic leads and hefty riffs. A steady unfurling of blissful post rock atmospheres with a hearty stoner metal base underneath.
'Sonntag' is the oddball song. Answers on a postcard if you know what is happening on this one! It is an instrumental - which by Elders standards shouldn't be a problem, and sounds like a throw back to a Porcupine Tree wig-out and one of the more obscure Cult of Luna songs. This could well be a skip song for some. It may unfortunately end up will be something like a jam that is usually reserved as a secret track following a big silence at the end of the album. Closer 'Thousand Hands' is a fine example of Elder's ability to craft majestic pieces of music, and really doesn't need to be ruined in this fashion.
Fans of the band will be pleased. Newcomers will surely be dosed, serenaded and enchanted by the haunting beauty of Elder. Good job these guys decided not to wait another 4 years between full-lengths, wise move indeed.
