Blood Incantation have finally released a preview into their forthcoming album, Absolute Elsewhere which sees its release next Friday via Century Media. Its first movement, The Stargate is available today in its entirety across digital retailers and comes with an exquisite short film, The Stargate which was directed by award winning cinematographer Michael Ragen (Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities: The Viewing) and features mesmerizing analog fluid effects by Chris Parks (The Fountain).
“The Stargate” Side One: A violent storm invokes the familiar before a grand cosmic key turn for a hint of sweeping scope to come with spiritual acknowledgement and accompaniment by Tangerine Dream’s Thorsten Quaeschning on synths on the song’s second tablet. Musically as violent as it is mediative, with subtle spoken passages flitting between Nicklas Malmqvist’s (Hällas) busy synthesizer keys and Mellotron strings invoking both the modern and ancient, and it is all given sharp focus by Arthur Rizk’s powerfully dynamic and enveloping mix.
Blood Incantation depart extreme metal’s traditionally antiquated waystation, warping their way towards “Genre of One'' stature, as “The Stargate” intones the disembodiment of consciousness itself, careening through the stargate towards Samsara-like reincarnation, punctuated by the occasional growl from Sijjin/ex-Necros Christos mainman, Malte Gericke.
The Stargate short film is unlike anything you have experienced before. It presents the saga of a mysterious artifact and its victims in a hallucinatory synthesis of science fiction and folk horror, where mind bending imagery and unsettling atmospheres converge in a surreal tale of primeval blood magic, interdimensional travel and grotesque otherworldly technology beginning in the Dark Ages and journeying into voids of deep space.
Blood Incantation recently announced an extensive North American tour crossing both coasts and more, plus a special hometown release show to launch.
The band says, “At last, prepare yourself to experience the entirety of our new album across North America this fall. Joining us on the premiere leg of the worldwide Absolute Elsetour campaign will be the singular and prolific Midwife, presenting a dichotomy of sonic extremities destined to take you deep into uncharted cosmic realms.
Ahead of this, our inaugural voyage into the Absolute Elsewhere timeline will be christened by none other than the enigmatic Master of Silence, Mr. Steve Roach, who will open the Stargate alongside us at the Boulder Theater on October 4th, in a unique and exploratory event truly showcasing Cosmic Music for Cosmic People.”
Tickets available here.
Blood Incantation Absolute Elsetour dates:
October
4 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater * (Record Release Show)
November
7 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne ~
8 - Vancouver, BC - The Rickshaw ~
9 - Seattle, WA - Substation ~
11 - Berkeley, CA - Cornerstone ~
12 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent Theater ~
13 - Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole ~
15 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It ~
16 - Dallas, TX - Echo ~
18 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade ~
19 - Tampa. FL - The Orpheum ~
21 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel ~
22 - Richmond, VA - Canal Club ~
23 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage ~
25 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts ~
26 - Brooklyn, NY - (Absolute) Elsewhere ~
27 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall ~
29 - Montreal, QC - Fairmount ~
30 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace ~
December
1 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick ~
3 - Chicago, IL - Metro ~
4 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line ~
5 - Omaha, NE - Bourbon Theater ~
* with Steve Roach
~ with Midwife
Blood Incantation’s new album, Absolute Elsewhere, sees its release October 4 via Century Media. Hovering at nearly 45 minutes, their longest full length recording yet, the album’s two sprawling movements - "The Stargate" and "The Message" - are as confounding as they are engaging, exponentially expanding upon the formulas laid down by their scene-shattering debut Starspawn (2016) and landmark follow up Hidden History Of The Human Race (2019).
As Blood Incantation’s Paul Riedl tells, “Absolute Elsewhere is our most potent audial extract/musical trip yet; like the soundtrack to a Herzog-style Sci-Fi epic about the history of/battle for human consciousness itself, via a 70s prog album played by a 90s death metal band from the future.”
For inspiration, the group looked to the mid-70’s progressive rock collective, Absolute Elsewhere (best known as a celestial stopover for King Crimson drummer, Bill Bruford) as the album’s namesake. For the uninitiated, Absolute Elsewhere’s obscure 1976 album, In Search Of Ancient Gods, was constructed as a musical accompaniment to the works of Chariots of the Gods author, Erich Von Daniken, and his theories of non-terrestrial humanoid prompts towards mankind’s evolution. The subject matter of which should serve as no surprise to anyone familiar with Blood Incantation’s cosmically philosophical leanings. But make no mistake, the four musicians working under the Blood Incantation banner for the past decade – guitarist and vocalist Paul Riedl, drummer Isaac Faulk, guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky and bassist Jeff Barrett – have successfully left the microgravity of genre behind and are re-writing the Rosetta Stone of extreme music with a new language entirely. Demonstrations like their 2022 all-synth show or 2024’s Roadburn Festival headlining appearance where they played back-to-back death metal and ambient made it clear: Blood Incantation have honed their abilities to go boldly where few bands have gone before, and reveal no signs of slowing down.
Pre-order Absolute Elsewhere here.
Absolute Elsewhere Worldwide Formats:
CD
Ltd. Deluxe 3CD + Blu-ray Artbook
Ltd. CD Digipak
Digital
Digital album
Digital album (Dolby Atmos)
US LPs
Gatefold black LP & Poster
Ltd. Gatefold transp. red LP & Poster (All US Outlets)
Ltd. Gatefold golden LP & Poster (US Indie Retailers // Ltd. 1500 Units)
Ltd. Gatefold ultra clear LP & Poster (All Blood Incantation // Ltd. 1000 Units)
EU LPs
Gatefold black LP & Poster
Ltd. Gatefold transp. turquoise LP & Poster (All EU Outlets)
Ltd. Gatefold transp. green LP & Poster (All UK Outlets)
Ltd. Gatefold clear-lilac splattered LP & Poster (cmdistro.de & various // Ltd. 700 Units)
Ltd. Gatefold transp. magenta LP & Poster (cmdistro.de // Ltd. 300 Units)
Ltd. Gatefold transp. glow in the dark LP & Poster (Bandcamp // Ltd. 500 Units)
Ltd. Gatefold Sparkle Universe LP & Poster (Kings Road Merch // Ltd. 500 Units)
Ltd. Gatefold transp. sun yellow-red splattered LP & Poster (EvilGreed.net // Ltd. 500 Units)
Ltd. Gatefold neon orange LP & Poster (Available from hrrecords.de // Ltd. 300 Units)
Tracklisting:
“The Stargate”
“The Message”
In case you missed it, Blood Incantation recently announced their documentary All Gates Open: In Search Of Absolute Elsewhere. The 73 minute feature film tells the story of their time in Berlin during the summer of 2023, recording Absolute Elsewhere at the legendary Hansa Studios. It will be available on Blu-Ray with the album's deluxe mediabook package and will also include the documentary’s original soundtrack, All Gates Open (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) which includes 60 minutes of exclusive new music distinct from the new album. This special edition will also include Blood Incantation’s 2023 maxi-single, "Luminescent Bridge” for the first time ever on CD, and of course, Absolute Elsewhere in both standard and Dolby Atmos / 5.1 mixes, alongside exclusive liner notes, exclusive interviews, behind the scenes photos and a forward by Ross Dolan of Immolation.
Watch the All Gates Open: In Search Of Absolute Elsewhere trailer below:
For Absolute Elsewhere, the band’s first full-length since their cinematic Timewave Zero EP (2022) and epic Luminescent Bridge maxi-single (2023), Blood Incantation decamped to the celebrated Hansa Tonstudios in Berlin, Germany in July 2023 to record with wünderkid producer Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Spectral Voice, Kreator, Wayfarer, Sumerlands, etc). This legendary, pre-Weimar-built recording complex was where many of their most progressive influences including Tangerine Dream, Eloy and Brian Eno created classic albums in the 1970s. Unmistakably, Hansa and Berlin became part of the underlying character of the album, culminating in Tangerine Dream’s own Thorsten Quaeschning contributing lead synths, Mellotron and programming to “The Stargate [Tablet II]”. Other special guests include Nicklas Malmqvist, from Sweden’s star-riding Hällas, on lead synths/keys, piano and Mellotron throughout all tracks, and Malte Gericke, the Sijjin/ex-Necros Christos mainman contributing guest vocals in his native tongue. Underscoring the classic Progressive Rock vibe, the album is adorned with contemporary visionary paintings by the iconic and reclusive 70s Sci-Fi artist Steve R. Dodd. Together, this international all-star team adds to the unearthly atmospherics of Absolute Elsewhere, which defines a new musical epoch for Blood Incantation.
Blood Incantation lineup:
Paul Riedl - Guitars, Vocals
Isaac Faulk - Drums
Morris Kolontyrsky - Guitars
Jeff Barrett - Fretless Bass
(Photos – Julian Weigand)
