Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere Review

Somewhere, in some galaxy far, far away, lies some poor creature who’s never had the chance to binge King Crimson’s Red, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, Death’s Symbolic, Morbid Angel’s Altars of Madness, Gorguts’ Obscura, and countless others I’m sure you’re all too familiar with. There are no words to articulate just how meaningful these albums are to me and terrestrial music fandom, in general. But perhaps that’s what makes our distinctive, earthly existence that much more special—these records and our lives are meant to be experienced by us alone.

Over the last 13 years, Denver, Colorado’s Blood Incantation has cemented itself as a worthy heir to the throne of modern progressive death metal, and I think that’s beyond anecdotal. Few extreme music releases, in recent memory, have been as anticipated, and fewer bands have garnered as much critical acclaim, dating back to 2015’s Interdimensional Extinction, 2017’s Starspawn, and 2020’s Hidden History of the Human Race.

The band followed the latter up with its pure cinematic ambient release, Timewave Zero, in 2022. Upon its arrival, Timewave Zero was met with mixed emotions from the social media echo chamber. The band, beloved for its cosmic death metal prowess, had ventured into what many considered too experimental of territory. And while I do understand that sentiment to an extent, in hindsight, Timewave Zero couldn’t have been a more Blood Incantation move. More in the sonic vein of Tangerine Dream than something like Morbid Angel, Gorguts, or Death, Timewave Zero was and is a statement: Blood Incantation isn’t here to please the outsider—you’re either in or you’re out—and, in the band’s estimate, either is perfectly fine.

All roads have led us here: Absolute Elsewhere, a realm that teeters on the sounds of the not-so-distant past and the inevitable notes of a far-out future. In the same ways 2001: A Space Odyssey felt so revolutionary in the ‘60s, Absolute Elsewhere captures the essence of something that sounds ahead of its time here in 2024. What makes Absolute Elsewhere both intriguing and extraordinary is how seamlessly it merges each era of the band into one complete piece of work. Essentially, the heavier moments of a “Slave Species of the Gods” or “Vitrification of Blood (Pt.1)” and the more cinematic and ambient elements of Timewave Zero unite for what sounds like a passage to the astral plane.

The album’s A-side, “The Stargate,” emerges like a science fiction movie, spectral and ethereal yet somehow nostalgic and dreamlike—almost as if you’ve been there before. Like the album’s namesake, Blood Incantation has summoned the spirits of the prog and electronic classic In Search of Ancient Gods.

Almost effortlessly, Blood Incantation refrains from blending the electronic/synth passages in a manner that comes across as mere filler. Between each Trey Azagthoth-necromanced riff, Luc Lemay-conjured dissonance, and Chuck Schuldiner-inspired solo lie moments of cosmos-floating ecstasy. The second half of the first “Stargate” tablet evokes the Blood Incantation you knew and loved from 2017-2020. However, even those detracted from their sole ambient venture will understand the criticality of their Timewave Zero exploration here, and even more so on the second tablet, featuring an appearance from Tangerine Dream. This time around the sun, the pendulum of energy is pulled to the more relaxed side before merging into a short acoustic passage and an unexpected dissonant breakdown. The third “Stargate” tablet is where I think Arthur Rizk’s production value really shines brightest. Upon so many layers of sound, from the guttural and clean vocals to the subtle spoken word passages to the tribal instrumentation, nothing is drowned out—the sound is colossal.

The B-side, “The Message,” kicks off with some of the album’s most progressive and old-school death metal moments. Bouncing between reverbed broken chords, tranquil solos, and machine-gun fire tremolos, Blood Incantation tones back the ambiance for most of the track. As you transition into the second tablet on the “Message” side, it quickly becomes evident that it’s more so the tail-end of the second act of a movie, with rising tension before the proverbial calm before the storm. “The Message (Tablet II)” features nods to the greats of Pink Floyd, notably during the song’s second half with some David Gilmour-inspired vocal cleans that make you want to belt out, Breathe, breathe in the air. The final 11 minutes, the third “Message” tablet, third act, and climax, features some of the heaviest moments on the album with some thrashy triplets early before branching into their prog side and eventually a triumphant, electronic sendoff.

I’ll just jump straight to the point: Absolute Elsewhere is contemporary death metal mastery, but you probably knew that, didn’t you? Somehow, it sounds like you’ve been there before, but deep in your consciousness, you know this is a unique realm, a brand-new odyssey. These moments don’t come around often, so breathe in the fresh air, friends. You’ve waited years for this album, and it’s here. It shattered the limitations of the skies above—more so than any of us could’ve expected. Take the stardust of the King Crimsons, Morbid Angels, Pink Floyds, Gorguts, and Tangerine Dreams before them, throw them into a wormhole, and even in the vacuum of space, you’ll hear Absolute Elsewhere. Phenomenal.