Blood Incantation is a progressive death metal band from Denver, Colorado consisting of bassist Jeff Barrett, guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky, drummer Isaac Faulk & frontman Paul Riedl. Exploding in 2016 off their full-length debut Starspawn, it wasn’t until the 2019 sophomore effort & one of the best metal albums from the previous decade in my personal opinion Hidden History of the Human Race where I personally started catching onto them musically. It’s been 5 years since the groundbreaking statement was made & they’re finally returning for their 3rd studio LP.

“The Stargate” begins the first half of the LP with this 20 minute progressive death metal epic split in 3 parts additionally pulling from Berlin school, progressive rock & space rock. Part I lyrically discusses all life being suffering that basks in nothingness & after an appearance from Tangerine Dream bandleader Thorsten Quaeschning during the Part I, the 3rd & final installment of the saga talking about finally reaching stellar solitude assuring the circle can be brokеn once more. 

“The Message” starts the other with another 20 minute prog death metal roller coaster ride continuing the progressive space rock undertones asking what means to be human during Part I, waking up when the souls start to call your name through Part II & debating whether all of this is for nothing or if your life’s part of something on Part III to round things out.

Absolute Elsewhere is unlike anything you’ve ever heard from Blood Incantation before. At roughly 45 minutes, the 2 compositions that make up this album are as confounding as they are engaging in their scope melding the 70s prog leanings with the deathly intent of Morbid Angel. Taking its’s title from the mid-70’s prog collective best known as a celestial stopover for King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford, the Denver band are leaving the notion of genre behind and writing a new language for extreme music itself.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!