The Denver-based technical death metal band, Blood Incantation, put out their fourth full length album on October 4, 2024. The band rose to underground stardom after their second full-length album, “Hidden History of the Human Race,” was released in 2019. Its combination of traditional old school death metal combined with an ambient nature was a shock to listeners. After this release, the band became more popular and, in 2022, put out an ambient synth album titled “Timewave Zero.” Although it displeased some more traditional fans, “Timewave Zero” is monumental in the evolution of Blood Incantation’s sound. With every new release, Blood Incantation expands their musical ability, and in their latest release, “Absolute Elsewhere,” they did not break this pattern.
“Absolute Elsewhere” is different from their previous records. They took clear influence from various different musical groups such as Pink Floyd, Morbid Angel, Camel, King Crimson, Suffocation, and Tangerine Dream (who are featured on the second track of the album), just to name a few. In this record, Blood Incantation showcases their musicianship by going above and beyond in terms of progressiveness and their otherworldly ambient movements.
The album is made up of two parts, “The Stargate” and “The Message,” both of which have three sections (or “tablets”) to them. The following is my personal review of all six parts:
The Stargate [Tablet I]
The first track of the album does well in summarizing all the different styles you hear throughout the record. The first half of the track stays true to the classic atmospheric, technical death metal sound Blood Incantation listeners are used to, but around the two-minute mark, the track completely changes by becoming more ambient with an ethereal synth solo and an epic guitar solo. This part of the track is clearly influenced by psychedelic groups such as Pink Floyd and Steve Hillage’s solo projects. The track immediately returns to the crushing death metal with a ridiculously heavy breakdown that adds even more dynamics.
The Stargate [Tablet II] (feat. Tangerine Dream)
Track two is one of the more ambient tracks on the record. Listeners can easily get lost in this track due to its celestial nature. It features synth legend Thorsten Quaeschning from Tangerine Dream, a synthwave group from the late 1960s. Half way through the track, the song changes directions with an ominous yet resolving flute solo that is an ode to 70s progressive groups like Camel.
The Stargate [Tablet III]
Fading directly out of Tablet II, Tablet III of The Stargate can only be described as pure cosmic death metal. This track of the album directly reminds me of their album “Hidden History of the Human Race,” which has a very similar ethnic, brutal sound, staying true to the music they are best known for but adding some new dynamics along the way.
The Message [Tablet I]
Starting the second half of the album, Tablet I of The Message, is everything you want it to be. It is not repetitive of The Stargate at all. The use of blast beats during clean sections is not something you hear often, but when you do it often doesn’t work well. Somehow, Blood Incantation made it work. The melodic sections of this track herald back to post-rock/metal influences such as Agalloch, Explosions in the Sky, and Alcest. This track also features the heaviest breakdown on the record.
The Message [Tablet II]
In my opinion, The Message [Tablet II] is the best track of the album. It is incredibly unique but old-school. Being arguably the most progressive track on the record, Blood Incantation went all out in terms of combining ambient rock with progressive metal. Two of the more clear influences I can hear on this track are King Crimson’s track “Starless” with its combination of ambiance and progressiveness and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon with its gentle, cosmic feeling in the chorus. Phenomenal.
The Message [Tablet III]
The album closes with this amazing eleven-minute epic. Just like the first track of the record, The Message [Tablet III] does well in summarizing all the different aspects you hear on the album. Crushing metal, melodic atmospheres mixed together with some over-the-top musical ability.
I asked Aidan Schroeder, a local musician that specializes in progressive and classical music, how he would describe this record in his own words. He replied, “I would call it ‘Altars of Moonmadness’—a combination of the influential death metal album ‘Altars of Madness’ by Morbid Angel and the 1970’s progressive album ‘Moonmadness’ by Camel.” This record is certain to leave a lasting mark on the metal community. Being something fresh, “Absolute Elsewhere” is sure to be a major influence on metal bands to come. Overall, I’m giving this record a 10/10.
In closing, “Absolute Elsewhere” is an incredible release and is rightfully getting the attention it deserves. This resurgence of old school progressive rock is something that the music community has needed for a long time. For too long, progressive music has been labeled as “hard to listen to” and “wacky.” Blood Incantation were able to find the sweet spot between showcasing crazy musical ability and creating good quality music that evokes emotion and creates groove.
