delving’s All Paths Diverge Review

delving’s All Paths Diverge is the latest evidence that Nick DiSalvo (Elder, delving) is this generations most significant guitarist. Ever since I first heard Elder’s Dead Roots Stirring back in 2011, I’ve been continually awe-struck and confused by what this guitarist has been creating.

There was something primal about Dead Roots Stirring, a straight ahead heaviness that took most of my attention. But over the years, I started to become aware that there was something inherently different about Elder: they approached the music in a way that didn’t make sense to me. I’m a self confessed music nerd, and having something like that nag at me for a few years was… Exciting!

Lore was a total head spinner: I don’t think anyone expected what we heard in that album. The refinement, the production value, the complexity of the music. It was all completely unexpected. And yet, underneath it all, there was a vague awareness that there was a common core between the two albums. I couldn’t put my hands on it, but I knew it was there, somewhere.

I’ve never been disappointed with an Elder release. Except for one, The Gold & Silver Sessions. It turned me off immediately, even though I listened to it a handful of times. It was missing all of the bombast and heaviness that I associated with Elder, and I was in a red meat mood.

Of course, I was totally wrong. It was simply a case where the first impression was completely off base. Which as a therapist, is pretty much every single time.

This review isn’t really about Elder, it’s about Nick DiSalvo and delving. But Elder is the most significant band for me this century, so it’s impossible for me to deal with delving without referencing my relationship to the band. To keep it short: It is devoted and intense. I hang on every note, every chord change, every evolution in their production.

delving

2021’s Hirschbrunnen was the final piece of the puzzle. It cleared up the mystery of Elder for me, and greatly elevated my respect for The Gold & Silver Sessions. Of course! It was right under my ears the whole time!!!

Krautrock!!!

The rhythms, dating back to their very first album in 2008. The expansive chord progressions, the rousing melodies, and the near hypnotic pace of the recordings. I imagined that Nick DiSalvo was raised, from the crib, on a steady diet of NEU!, Ash Ra Temple, Kraftwerk and quite a bit of Tangerine Dream. Klaus Schultze himself is all over his body of work.

Just imagine: a Steven Wilson/Nick DiSalvo collaboration! It’s probably not as far-fetched as it sounds.

Look, man. I’m dense as shit half the time, and it ain’t getting any better as I age. He’s mentioned most of this stuff in various interviews, discussions, it’s been all over the place. For whatever reason, delving was the music that brought it to my attention.

At this point I probably need to dial back the geek meter. The best I can do is identify what delving’s music reminds me of. What I can’t do is specify exactly what Nick’s inspiration actually is. Until I actually talk to him, I have no idea how much Ash Ra Temple he’s heard, or if Klaus Schulze is even on his radar. Besides, I have some general observations of kraut rock that might ruffle the feathers of the connoisseurs of the genre.

I can tell you, in general, that the Krautrock rabbit hole is indeed deep, way deeper than the typical North American is going to be aware of. But Nick DiSalvo is not your typical North American. So let me stop the name dropping before I get into further trouble.

Of course, I was totally wrong. It was simply a case where the first impression was completely off base. Which as a therapist, is pretty much every single time.

Now, being a child of the 70s, my access to music from Germany was extremely limited. I lived in a very small Midwestern town in Ohio. Not exactly a hot bed of Continental culture and taste. But what I did hear influenced me greatly. And, after about 20 minutes, bored me to sleep.

The thing about Krautrock is that it either meanders or drones on endlessly. At times, most of the time, that’s not a bad thing, because it does so deliberately. European attention spans and cultural references are different than us North American types. Reductive, but I think accurate. There’s a reason that Klaus Schulze never toured the United States…

Still, my furstration with (a lot of) the music associated with Krautrock is it never really goes anywhere, and rarely builds to the heaviness that I feel it can come to. It’s mostly build, pause, build, pause, build, end of music.

Nick DiSalvo might feel the same way, because he totally avoids this tendency on All Paths Diverge. Throughout the album, he has these wonderfully hypnotic, synthesized, rhythmic grooves going on that actually hit a kind of resolution. Sublime moments where the guitar becomes distorted, the bass begins to growl, and the pace picks up in a very satisfying way.

All Paths Diverge

Opener Sentinel might be tough going if you’re not familiar with this kind of music. It starts out with a heady, haunting synthesizer run, with some tasty piano accompaniment. Then it rips right into…80’s-era jazz rock that seriously reminds me of Spyro Gyra.

Again, not a bad thing, just unexpected. Right around the 3:30 mark, patient gets rewarded with a classic Nick DiSalvo rhythmic groove the reminds you who it is you’re listening to.

Omipresence is where the Krautrock stylings start to shine. It’s not that far removed from some of the quieter passages in the Elder catalog. As long as you’re not expecting one of those grandiose crescendos of blissful distortion, I think the average listener can settle in at this point and get taken for a ride.

The third track, Chain of Mind, is where Nick begins to let loose. Complex polyrhythms take over, and later in the piece is some truly inspired synthesizer work. If the listener was doubtful when the album began, this should clear up any misconceptions and settle any disappointments. Because things are starting to get very interesting…

New Meridian is a study in European chill…until just after the 4 minute mark. After nearly a half hour of music, this gets ecstatically close to a classic Elder song in the post-Lore era. Personally, I started the album all over again once I reached this point. The build to this particular section is extremely satisfying, and one of the best musical moments I’ve had in recent memory.

Zodiak is even closer to what an Elder fan would expect. Michael Risberg also makes an appearance, providing extra “ambience” throughout the piece. ( I have this to say about Mr. Risberg: he could even make contemporary Deep Purple interesting.) He’s just such a stellar player, and I think he helps Nick make the most of his ideas. The bass playing on this track simply rips. It’s very prominent in the mix, growly and exceptionally well placed. Sure, it doesn’t have the rhythmic aggression of Jack Donovan, but it’s really close.

The Ascetic is the perfect follow up to Zodiac. The ideas in this piece are fantastic, and feel like they are refinements of the whole Kraut Rock movement dating back to 1971. Like I wrote earlier, it’s a long song, coming in at nine minutes, but it doesn’t meander mindlessly. There are distinctive movements within this song, and the ending feels bombastic, relative to the genre that it’s pulling from. It’s not Reflections of a Floating World bombast, but it doesn’t need to be. There is true mastery going on in this piece, and it is a complete joy to experience.

Vanish With Grace feels like the ultimate delving song. I have a sense that everything that came before it on this record was building to this specific point. There were a couple times when I decided to stop the song and wipe the tears out of my eyes. Again, I don’t want to presume the exact references that Nick is pulling from, but man, I felt like 50 years of Elekronisch was condensed into 9:51 of perfection.

All Paths Diverge is that kind of album for me. Once I finish it, I have to go back from the beginning and try to pick out the things that I missed in previous listening sessions. Suffice it to say, every time I hear yet another synth pad, another quiet arpeggio, another rhythmic twist and turn that brings another perspective to the whole thing.

delving’s All Paths Diverge is the exact album I needed to hear, by the precise artist I needed to hear it from. It simultaneously fulfills a deep-seeded need for this type of art, and makes me hungry for more. I cannot possibly recommend this album more highly.

Notes on Production

One the most enjoyable things to experience is the maturation and development of Nick over the years. At this point in the game, he’s pretty near the summit of what you could expect from your typical stoner/doom guy. But, he’s never really been a typical stoner/doom guy.

The biggest change is the production. In many ways, this is the best recording Nick DiSalvo has ever produced. The guitars are crisp, clean, and vibrant. The bass playing is out of this world, technically exciting and sonically pleasing. The growl he produces is truly epic!

My one nitpick is the drums, or more specifically the cymbals. There is audible smearing in the recording, and while it’s a very fine detail and for most people it’s minutia, it’s the one element that detracts from what is otherwise a pristine production.

Still, this is one of the best recorded albums of the year. In fact, within our particular scene, Nick doesn’t really have an equal. The only person I can reasonably compare him to is Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, solo work). Nick DiSalvo is a restless spirit, with every bit the variety of experience and focus of a man like Steven Wilson. I can carry it even further, and compare the synthesizer work to Richard Barbieri, which is also off-the-wall high praise.

I’m confident that fans of those two gentlemen won’t disagree with me too harshly. Their music might not be of the same vein, but the meticulous approach and development certainly is. I can also easily imagine a Dolby Atmos version of this, and most of the Elder catalogue. It also wouldn’t surprise me at all if these two have been in contact with one another.

Just imagine: a Steven Wilson/Nick DiSalvo collaboration! It’s probably not as far-fetched as it sounds.

In Conclusion

I LOVE this album, which is pretty clear by now. More importantly, I want as many people as possible to hear it.

As an introduction to this style of music, All Paths Diverge is as close to perfect as I’ve ever heard. Even more remarkable is that Nick played all of the instruments, with the exception of some tasty keyboard and piano work by Fabien de Menou. Of course, I’d listen to Michael Risberg if he played for Cold Play or Katy Perry. His presence sweetened the deal.

So, yes, BUY THIS if you have the money. Borrow some if you don’t. And if you have to stream it, for gawdsake listen to the whole thing before you decide if you like it or not. This is an actual album: an experience meant to be taken in all at once. I highly recommend that you do…