Elder has been one of my favorite active metal bands ever since I heard Reflections of a Floating World, a psychedelic sojourn through doomy riffs and Krautrock-esque instrumental passages. But ever since Lore, much of the discourse around Elder has focused on the balance between metal and prog rock, and as the band has continued, they seem to favor more and more of the latter with each release.

Innate Passage might pose the question of whether they have finally crossed the line between Metal and Not Metal, but Elder doesn’t seem very interested in debating it any further. Instead, they spend an hour offering up epic journeys through massive riffs, third-eye-opening solos, and the catchiest melodies they’ve ever released.

“Catastasis” opens the record with a deceptively clean delayed guitar riff that explodes into a crushing riff riding an off-kilter but unwavering rhythm. Eventually, the guitars and thunderous drums are joined by a synth lead that sounds like it was borrowed right from Kansas. The riff dies down for a quiet verse built around the opening riff, then returns to the asymmetrical crunch before wandering into an extended solo exchange. It’s nothing new for Elder, and it doesn’t need to be: this is why we keep coming back.

And it’s not getting stale yet. On the contrary, this might be the finest collection of sonic expeditions they’ve ever put to tape. The guitars sing more fluently than ever, at times reminding me of Scale the Summit. The keyboardist’s array of equipment has swollen to impressive proportions, organs and electric pianos augmented by Moogs, Mellotrons, and lush analog pads. The rhythm section is as tight as ever, pulling the melodic elements through the terrain like a yoke of oxen—heavy, groovy oxen.

The centerpiece of this album, “Merged in Dreams – Nes Plus Ultra,” might just be the finest piece Elder has ever put to tape. At 14:44, it’s the third longest track they’ve ever released, and it doesn’t waste a single second. The narrative of the track follows much the same pattern as most of their other songs, but the specific turns from atmospheric bass lines to explosive riffs to keyboard-heavy meandering to a grand finale that combines them all together for a spectacular finish is maybe the most grandiose and satisfying thing they’ve ever done. And while I’ve always felt like Elder’s vocals aren’t a priority against the staggering instrumental work, the lush harmonies in the middle section of this track feel like they stand eye to eye.

At the end of the day, I’m not sure I can offer any better evidence for Innate Passage‘s quality than the fact that I purchased it. I wrestled with it for a bit—like I said, Elder isn’t exactly reinventing their wheel on this album, nor on any of their albums, really. They found their groove pretty early in their career, and they keep sticking to what works. But after a few weeks of asking myself, “do I really need another Elder record?” the answer was an unequivocal yes. They’re the best at what they do, and they keep getting better. And while I probably would have bought this for “Merged In Dreams” alone, the whole of Innate Passage stands against the high bar that Elder has made for themselves.