### Elodea: Voyager

#### 18/01/11 || Love Lagerkvist

“Death by heavy metal sludge” is not only a sentence that can be used to describe the recent environmental accident in Hungary, but also the sounds of Slovakian act Elodea and their recently released disc “Voyager”. Sadly however, this has nothing to do with Star Trek nerdophilia, but the incredibly original themes of “apocalypse, darkness, death”. Off to a good start here aren’t we?

Well actually, we are. Album opener “Becoming one with the desert” is a well crafted 14-minute slab of doomy sludge sonics. Cruching guitars? Check. The usual hardcore influenced vocals? Check. Drums that shift from pummeling double bas to slower cymbal heavy beats? Check, check. A slower mid-section a some nice build ups? Czecho-fucken-Slovakia.

In simple terms, it’s griddy sludge mostly played by the books. All the instrumentation does what it’s supposed to do, while the production handles it’s end with success. The four tracks (five, if you count the CD-bonus Nullentropy) we get here all have an individual feel to them, such as the “A sun that never sets” characteristics of “Polymers are forever“s last half, or the vocal experimentation (again, there is a lot of Neurosis here) on “Fraction of the whole”.

I don’t know if there is a whole lot more to say here really. The post-tingles of “Revolve” serve as a fitting ending (again, not counting the CD bonus track “Nullentropy”) to this well executed NeuroIsis tribute. Elodea have managed to cook up some good tunes, but the lack of identity sadly drags it down a little. Recommended for existing fans of the genre, but I doubt it’ll get anyone on the outside will get off in this for more than once.

- Information
- Released: 2010
- Label: Storm Inside Records
- Website: Elodea MySpace
- Band
- Milos: vocals, guitar
- Jure: bass
- Dean: bass
- Vilijem: drums
- Gasper: drums
- Ivo: guitars

- Tracklist
- 01. Becoming one with the desert
- 02. Polymers are forever
- 03. Fraction of the whole
- 04. Revolve
- 05. Nullentropy