Absolute Elsewhere

Two years after breaking away from metal entirely with the dark ambient suite Timewave Zero, Denver-based psychedelic death metal quartet deliver the true follow-up to 2019s widely acclaimed breakthrough Hidden History of the Human Race. Absolute Elsewhere expands on the groups cosmic impulses, incorporating far more of their non-metal influences than their first two albums, particularly 70s space rock, prog, Krautrock, and Berlin school electronic music. Consisting of two songs ("The Stargate" and "The Message") divided into three "tablets" each, the album is a headstrong rush of slashing riffs, complex time signatures, tripped-out growling, and wild, surreal left turns. The first time it switches from aggressive pummeling to spacy prog, there are layers of hypnotic organ, analog synth soloing, and dubby atmospherics. The second track includes burbling arpeggios courtesy of Tangerine Dreams Thorsten Quaeschning, layered with sci-fi dialogue, then dissolving and moving through other dream stages rather than being snapped awake. The beginning of "The Message" switches from airy melodies to manic blastbeats and contorted riffs on a dime, and the second tablet moves from sounding influenced by Rush to a gorgeous slow, atmospheric section which sounds like a dead-on Pink Floyd homage. The third tablet breaks for a moment with hippie-ish flutes, then kicks into a searing final section with an orchestral-sounding climax. Blood Incantation belong to the class of bands such as Gorguts, Demilich, and Sigh who push extreme metal far beyond its conventions, and Absolute Elsewhere is a towering achievement which exceeds all expectations. ~ Paul Simpson