I love being surprised by new music. Blood Incantation, I thought, were the type of band I don’t normally like much, but I was completely wrong. Their new album Absolute Elsewhere is an extraordinary journey that only gets better with repeat listens. The album was released on October 4th.
Blood Incantation come to us from Colorado, USA. Sure, I can’t read their band logo and their name is on the morbid side, but I’m finding their music to be entirely different than I imagined. The current lineup includes Paul Riedl on vocals and guitars, Isaac Faulk on drums, Morris Kolontyrsky on guitars, and Jeff Barrett on bass. Thorsten Quaesching of Tangerine Dream guests on one track, as well.
The band plays imaginative metal. They combine death metal, cosmic doom, progressive electronic, prog rock, cinematic music, and psychedelic rock into an immersive and brilliant soundscape. Much of their music is fairly abstract with soaring guitars, spacious atmospheres, and warm electronica that bubbles and soothes. It is also full of brutal riffs, ferocious harsh vox, and powerful blast beats. It seems like a contradiction, but the band seamlessly weaves all of these things into one beautiful tapestry of art.
And for those that might be afraid of the harsh vox, I’ll say what I always say: you just have to find harsh vox you like, and you’ll enter a whole new world of music. Paul’s harsh vox are the distant, cosmic sort; you can tell most of what he’s saying, and they come across as inviting and mysterious, not overbearing. This is the kind of album that will cause some to fall in love with harsh vocals.
The album itself is a fascinating journey. It technically only has two songs, “The Stargate” and “The Message”. Each is separated into three “tablets”. So, in other words, this album has two three-song suites. Anyways, this structure is wonderful because the album flows like an unrelenting river, and also because it makes the album pass quickly and memorably and doesn’t overstay its welcome. The band writes concisely and eventfully.
Let me start with “The Stargate”; I’ll admit that I decided to listen to the album because of my love for the movie Stargate. I can be easy to please like that. Anyways, this song is an absolute monster. “Tablet I” is heavy and driving cosmic doom—it get its point across well. I love the synth interlude in the middle, and the massive Gilmourish guitar solo that stings with how good it is. The track bleeds into “Tablet II” which immediately showcases Thorsten’s Tangerine Dream atmosphere; it is beautiful and welcoming as much as it is shadowy and fleeting. I love how it evokes this retro vinyl sci-fi sort of feeling. “Tablet II” is mostly ambient and gorgeous, but it launches into a searing, pealing metallic finish that is simply amazing. The final tablet is chaotic and spacious death metal that is truly engaging. I love the arc of this song.
Now, “The Message” might be even better, at least at times. This one revels in blast beats and its genre-bending leans more into Floydian prog rock. The galloping first tablet blows us away with sheer technicality before the second tablet eases us into a more reserved experience. This part has clean vocals and a generally calm atmosphere that hovers beautifully. The third tablet, of course, moves back into the metal. This final track is positively amazing with how it juggles driving riffs with psychedelic rock; there’s even one part where powerful riffs trade back and forth with acoustic strumming. It’s deeply dynamic. I love the cinematic edge that rises near the end and plants a memorable melody on our senses before the album closes.
Blood Incantation have created not only something innovative, but also something that pays tribute to the past. Absolute Elsewhere is a furious mind trip that drips as much honey as it does blood. I love bands that can offer both brutally unnerving power, and also tender, thoughtful melody. It’s a representation of their artistry and compositional genius.
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The PROG Mind 