Absolute Elsewhere

Blood Incantation are a Denver-based band who ornament their death metal core with psychedelic, ambient, and exploratory tendencies. They emerged in 2011 and found critical acclaim with their 2016 debut, Starspawn, and 2019 follow-up Hidden History of the Human Race. The group shifted gears with their first ambient album, 2022's Timewave Zero, and incorporated cosmic, progressive, and space rock influences into their ambitious 2024 effort Absolute Elsewhere.

Comprised of vocalist and guitarist Paul Riedl, guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky, drummer Isaac Faulk, and bassist Jeff Barrett, Blood Incantation's caustic riffage, eerie flourishes of psychedelia, neck-snapping technical acumen, and lyrics about space and death were first put into play on a trio of demo recordings. A split 7" with fellow Coloradans Spectral Voice was issued ahead of the group's debut EP, 2015's Interdimensional Extinction. Starspawn, the band's first full-length effort, was released via Dark Descent Records and received accolades from numerous online publications. A concert EP, Live Vitrification, appeared in 2018, consisting of the 19-minute "The Vitrification of Blood" and an untitled ambient piece.

The band's sophomore long-player, 2019's punishing Hidden History of the Human Race, was even more acclaimed than their debut, charting in Pitchfork's Top 50 albums of the year. Blood Incantation signed to Century Media, and the label reissued their debut EP and first two albums in 2021. Timewave Zero, a cinematic dark ambient full-length, appeared in 2022. A two-song EP, Luminescent Bridge, was issued in 2023. Absolute Elsewhere, a sprawling album consisting of two lengthy pieces each divided into three "tablets," appeared in 2024. Expanding on the group's Krautrock and progressive rock influences, the album included a guest feature by Tangerine Dream's Thorsten Quaeschning. ~ James Christopher Monger & Paul Simpson