Review Summary: Eternal rest in mists of dead stars.
The cosmos reflects the soul. As one of the most widely discussed and critically acclaimed names in the modern death metal vanguard, Blood Incantation’s dynamic brilliance was evident as early as their first EP “Interdimensional Extinction” in 2015, which paved the way for the future-classic debut “Starspawn” a year later. By 2019, recognition had skyrocketed with “Hidden History of the Human Race” as they kept expanding their intricate blend of old-school death metal with 70’s prog and electronics, accompanied by rather niche lyrical content that is as otherworldly as their music. The band experimented with pure textures of layered atmospherics with the space / dark ambient EP “Timewave Zero” in 2022, which seemed to me as an expected manifestation of some of their natural tendencies, yet it received considerably less listens due to the lack of metal. After five years of anticipation, we finally have the third Blood Incantation full-length release entitled “Absolute Elsewhere”, a monumental work of pensive gravitas that defies genre conventions, explores new musical territories and puts the listener to the test.
The album consists of two long compositions “The Stargate” and “The Message”, which are split into three parts each. This amounts to a duration of about 43 minutes, making it the longest full-length of the band to date, but ironically still not even close to the length of the “Timewave Zero” EP. Even if one is already aware of how incredibly dense every Blood Incantation release is, the first exposure to “Absolute Elsewhere” is still a striking, unprecedented experience. While there’s no shortage of pulverizing death metal in the album, chiaroscuro tension is created and maintained by constantly alternating between raw intensity and synth / ambient passages, which have been puzzled together perfectly in what is a record with immaculate flow and an absurd amount of pristine, amazing musical ideas. The essence of the death metal sublime is reinforced by the stellar production, catered at Hansa Studios in Berlin (Germany), a place of profound historical importance with equipment that Blood Incantation surely took advantage of while crafting the record.
Building upon a multiplicity of influences from music and literature, “Absolute Elsewhere” is bold and ambitious, showcasing the band’s determination to create something that will forever evade all bounds known to man. While blasting some of the best death metal Blood Incantation have ever composed, the tracks freely introduce 70’s synth solos, psych and krautrock, or extensive prog rock sections with experimental electronics, in the most confident manner possible. In combination with the geeky sci-fi cover (from the same designer that did last year’s “Luminescent Bridge” single) that doesn’t feature a single dismembered body, it is a clear provocation to all the old-school death metal fanatics still reeling from last year’s “The Enduring Spirit”. But hey, progress is an ever turning wheel. Of course, the execution and musicianship is phenomenal to say the least, each instrument is a pleasure to listen to even on its own and there’s so much going on that you’re euphorically overwhelmed from start to finish.
Shenanigans make their way already from the second minute of the first track “The Stargate [Tablet I]”, which initiates in a clean death metal fashion but then diverges into prog rock paths with a stunning solo from a completely different era. An electronic piece featuring the legendary musicians from Tangerine Dream follows in “The Stargate [Tablet II]”, which is an excellent fit for “Absolute Elsewhere” and a collaboration as epic as Carl McCoy appearing in Watain’s “Waters of Ain” back in 2010. Right before the track's end, the band picks up on the distortion again for a short while before presenting the absolute highlight last part of the first side of the album “The Stargate [Tablet III]”. In an already spectacular album, it stands out by firing down top-notch death metal riffing, magnificent solos, an instrumental section that almost reminds of interludes you find in a Nile record, excellent clean vocals (yes, as you read it) and an ultra-heavy ending part that nods at the middle-paced, punishing patterns of early '90s Morbid Angel.
With that momentum, the same levels of force and fervor are kept in “The Message [Tablet I]”, which is also one of the more brutal pieces in “Absolute Elsewhere” as a whole except for a couple of moments. It is especially aggressive from its middle and onward, but still wonderfully connected to the milder “The Message [Table II]”, where keyboards and clean vocals are employed in a way as bands did five decades ago before the existence of metal, but also distantly had me thinking of a similar kind of synesthetic convergence Enslaved aimed at with their more recent, also 70’s rock leaning releases. Blood Incantation close this extraterrestrial ceremony with the longest track of the album, similarly to what they did in “Hidden History”, which undulates between all the aforementioned elements, features a two-minute layered ambient outro as in “Timewave Zero”, which is enough to wake you up from the trip and bring you back to reality.
New blood has forcibly taken control of the current extreme metal scene, and they’re not afraid to to color outside lines that were once considered untouchable. “Absolute Elsewhere” should and will ruffle a lot of feathers, and whatever you might think of Blood Incantation, they undoubtedly raised the bar and pushed the envelope by creating a masterful album of such luminous ineffability. From Yes to Cynic to Demilich, the band shuffles between its influences like dancing masters, presenting their particular vision exceptionally well, in a record that feels like a culmination of all their previous efforts during the past decade. Give it the attention it deserves, and it shall surely reward you.
