Blood Incantation — Absolute Elsewhere

I've always made it a point to try and see every band playing at a live show, even if it means showing up far earlier than I really want to. This has resulted in discovering some interesting support acts, both local and otherwise.

None of these discoveries were anywhere near as profound as when I saw Blood Incantation supporting Immolation 5 years ago. It was the only time I can recall having zero expectations of a band and being so thoroughly impressed that I ended up buying their albums on my walk home from the venue.

While Hidden History of the Human Race was a fantastic technical death metal album, I was not prepared for what this Colorado-based group had in store for the future. The release of Timewave Zero took a bit to digest. I'm used to extreme metal bands throwing curveballs in the form of ambient / soundscapey records — with Ulver and Wolves In The Throne Room being the most prominent examples. The band followed that little detour with a 12-minute single titled "The Luminscent Bridge," blending both extremes of the band's output into an epic preview of things to come.

Absolute Elsewhere ramps up all of the band's influences and combines them in the their most powerful offering yet. The record is technically two songs, but each is split into 3 separate tracks — called "tablets" — for a running time of just over 43 minutes. Each segment stands on its own but also fits perfectly as part of a greater composition.

Blood Incantation have been called "Black Floyd" or "the Pink Floyd of death metal," which is both accurate and somewhat of an insufficient description. There are certainly some very heavy influences on the record; if you bust out enough synths and psychadelic rock flourishes the comparison is inevitable. Filming a 20-minute video / short film (YouTube) for the record's first half certainly does nothing to disabuse anyone of those feelings.

The pacing of the Absolute Elsewhere is perfect, with each section carefully arranged so as to flow into the next. The slower, melodic passages break up the intensity and parcel it out into meaningful chunks. The transitions to and from double-kick drum blasts and sinister harmonic squeals to a lush, atmospheric wall of synths is pulled off so smooth and effortlessly. The only truly instrumental track is the second part of "The Stargate," although there are long passages without vocals scattered across the album.

The back half of the record features some vital synth work from Tangerine Dream, and the band goes all out — hitting the listener with soaring melodies, crunchy thrash riffs, and even busting out hand drums and some clean vocals — in the climax of the 11-minute closing track. Maybe I'm inferring a lot, but this album feels like it was composed with the vinyl format in mind.

The repeat listening value of Absolute Elsewhere is immense, with each spin revealing more nuance and subtlety to the arrangements. Blood Incantation have found their niche and have asserted complete dominance. There are enough odd time signatures and atmospheric elements to satisfy progressive metal fans while still providing enough headbanging riffs and guttural roars that no one can say the band has abandoned their death metal origins.

Summary

Easily one of the most creative death metal records of the year, and one of my favourite releases. Blood Incantation have perfected a blend of psychadelic rock and technical metal that seemlessly combines their influences into some truly epic compositions. Absolute Elsewhere masterfully conveys a narrative of a vast, unforgiving universe and all of the wonder and horror that it contains while also delivering memorable riffs and tasty grooves.

Album Information

Release date: October 4th, 2024
Record label: Century Media Records

Paul Riedl — guitars, vocals
Morris Kolontyrsky — guitars
Jeff Barrett — bass
Isaac Faulk — drums

Track Listing

The Stargate [Tablet I]
The Stargate [Tablet II]
The Stargate [Tablet III]
The Message [Tablet I]
The Message [Tablet II]
The Message [Tablet III]

Link: bloodincantation.bandcamp.com

—by Derek

Published: October 11th, 2024.