Since their explosive rise to popularity in 2019, Blood Incantation have waited five years for a proper third album. In the meantime, a few side releases have provided a glimpse of the band’s imminent evolution. Absolute Elsewhere takes up the fusion between Morbid Angel and Pink Floyd, but manages to extend the stylistic range and the ambition of the arrangements.
Blood Incantation are one of the few underground death metal bands to have broken through the niche in which they were born, winning praise from a wider ecosystem of independent music of all kinds. It was this advantage that enabled them, in 2022, to make a welcome stopover into space ambient with Timewave Zero, a long EP composed almost exclusively on synthesizers. Many wondered what the quartet would do next to surprise them. A synthesis of the two genres? That’s not quite what Absolute Elsewhere reveals.
Here, guitar-driven music runs throughout the album. At no point does the music descend into a minimalist drone of synthesizers. Instead, these are used sparingly, complementing the basic instrumentation and opening up the dynamic range. These psychedelic flights develop the sound consolidated on Secret History of the Human Race (2019) with the instrumental track ‘Inner Paths (to Outer Space)’, where ethereal ’70s psychedelia takes over from oppressive brutality. But on this new opus, there’s much more. Arpeggio progressions leading to highly melodic solos, narration, vocal samples, sound processing, sung vocals and even flute. We’re also surprised by galloping or tremolo passages reminiscent of the catchy tendencies of Scandinavian metal. And yet, all this comes together very naturally in two long pieces, each in three movements.
Naturally, the music is less extreme than before, leaving room for a wider expressive palette. This is not a bad thing, especially for a band steeped in extraterrestrial theories and the questioning of the human condition. In any case, Absolute Elsewhere is an excellent soundtrack for an astral voyage, even if fatally confined to the psyche.
