Blood Incantation’s ‘Absolute Elsewhere’ Is a Genre-Collapsing Triumph

Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere is a 43-minute statement of intent. The album fuses the crushing weight of death metal with the exploratory sprawl of 1970s progressive rock and the cosmic synth drift of Tangerine Dream. The result is not a genre blend so much as a genre collapse, and it works.

The record is structured as two suites, each split into three parts. The first, “The Stargate,” runs just over 20 minutes. The second, “The Message,” runs just under 23. The running order matters; this is an album designed to be consumed as a whole, a single arc from the first guttural roar to the final ambient fade. It is dense, demanding, and frequently astonishing.

The Stargate Tablet I

“The Stargate [Tablet I]” begins the record with a slow, ominous build. Electronics pulse in the background, a low hum that feels like a spaceship warming up. Then the guitars crash in — a wall of distorted, churning riffs that recall classic death metal at its most punishing. The vocals are cavernous growls, but there is a patience to the pacing that sets the tone. The band is not in a hurry. They are laying groundwork.

The track moves through several distinct movements, shifting from blast-beat fury to cleaner, almost meditative passages. There is a moment where the chaos recedes and a single, mournful guitar line takes over. It is a brief respite, and it makes the subsequent return to heaviness hit harder. This is songwriting as architecture, with each section built to support the next.

The Stargate Tablet II

“The Stargate [Tablet II]” is where the album truly opens up. This is the most explicitly progressive piece on the record, wearing its 1970s influences on its sleeve. The death metal elements recede into the background, replaced by a lengthy passage of swirling organ, clean guitar arpeggios, and lead lines that could have come straight off a mid-70s progressive rock record. It is a bold move — a death metal band essentially playing a prog rock instrumental — and it lands perfectly.

The transition back into heavier territory is seamless. When the riffs return, they feel earned. The track builds to a climax that is both melodic and crushing, a rare combination that Blood Incantation manage with apparent ease. This is the song that will convert skeptics.

The Stargate Tablet III

“The Stargate [Tablet III]” closes the first suite. It is the most aggressive of the three, a return to the death metal core that anchors the record. The tempo is faster, the vocals are harsher, and the riffs are more direct. But even here, the band cannot resist a detour. A mid-song passage introduces a clean, almost choral vocal line that floats over the chaos. It is unexpected, and it works. The suite ends not with a resolution but with a dissolve — the instruments fade out, leaving only a sustained electronic note that carries into the next track.

The Message Tablet I

“The Message [Tablet I]” opens the second suite with a clean, almost pastoral guitar figure. It is the most accessible moment on the record, a gentle melody that could pass for post-rock before the drums kick in. The track gradually builds in intensity, layering more instruments and more complex rhythms. The vocals, when they arrive, are buried deeper in the mix than on the first suite, treated almost as another instrument rather than the lead.

This is a more patient, more atmospheric approach. The band is exploring texture and mood rather than sheer force. It is a smart structural choice — after the relentless push of “The Stargate,” this feels like a breath. But it is not a passive listen. The rhythms are intricate, and the interplay between the two guitars is constantly shifting. There is a lot happening beneath the surface.

The Message Tablet II

“The Message [Tablet II]” is the highlight of the second suite. It is the shortest piece on the record at just under six minutes, but it packs a remarkable amount of ideas into that time. The track opens with a driving, mid-tempo riff that feels almost like a classic heavy metal groove before spiraling into more complex territory. The vocals are more varied here, shifting between growls and higher-pitched shrieks.

The centerpiece is a lengthy instrumental passage that showcases the band’s technical prowess. The bass work is particularly notable, holding down a melodic line that the guitars weave around. This is prog-death at its finest — technically impressive, emotionally resonant, and never self-indulgent. The track ends on a single, sustained chord that hangs in the air.

The Message Tablet III

“The Message [Tablet III]” is the album’s longest track, running 11 minutes and 28 seconds. It is also its most ambitious. The track begins with a long ambient introduction — electronics, field recordings, and what sounds like a distant heartbeat. It is a full two minutes before the band kicks in, and when they do, it is with a slow, crushing doom-metal riff that feels like the album’s heaviest moment.

From there, the track evolves through multiple movements. There is a section that recalls the kosmische music of Tangerine Dream, with swirling electronics and a steady, hypnotic pulse. There is a section that is pure death metal, fast and brutal. There is a section that is almost jazz-like in its rhythmic freedom. The band moves between these modes with confidence, never letting the transitions feel forced.

The final movement is the album’s most affecting. The tempo slows, the distortion clears, and the band settles into a simple, elegiac melody. The vocals become clean, almost fragile. It is a striking moment — after more than 40 minutes of sonic assault, the record ends with something approaching tenderness. The last note rings out and fades, leaving silence.

Critical Consensus

The album has drawn near-unanimous praise. Metacritic lists a score of 92 out of 100. The consensus, as reported, is that critics were near-unanimous in praising Absolute Elsewhere as a bold, genre-transcending triumph, with many calling it one of the best metal albums of 2024. That assessment is correct.

AllMusic wrote: “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.”

Metal Hammer called it “pure prog-death perfection and one of the best metal albums of 2024.”

Pitchfork wrote that “just when it can’t seem to get any bigger, it all gets swept away, echoing out to some arcane, far-off land, where fantasy is alive and the riffs roam free.”

The standout tracks, in this reviewer’s judgment, are these:

• The Stargate [Tablet II] — the prog centerpiece, a bold detour that works
• The Message [Tablet II] — the most complete song, a perfect synthesis of the band’s ideas

• The Message [Tablet III] — the epic closer, 11 minutes of ambition that pays off

• 6 tracks, 43 minutes total running time

• Two suites: “The Stargate” and “The Message”
• Metacritic: 92/100

Absolute Elsewhere is not an easy listen. It demands attention, patience, and a willingness to follow the band through their detours. But it rewards that investment. This is a record that rewards repeated listening, revealing new details with each pass — a subtle keyboard line buried in the mix, a rhythmic shift that recontextualizes a riff, a transition that makes more sense the second time.

There are minor quibbles. The ambient passages in “The Message [Tablet III]” could be trimmed without losing much. The clean vocal sections, while effective, are not the band’s strongest instrument. But these are small complaints against a record this ambitious and this successful.

Blood Incantation have made a statement. This is a band operating at the peak of their powers, unafraid to take risks and confident enough to make them work. Absolute Elsewhere is a landmark record, one that will be discussed for years to come. It is a towering achievement.

album review · Blood Incantation · death metal · metal music · prog rock