Blood Incantation release side A of forthcoming album, Absolute Elsewhere

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 mesmerising 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 synthesiser 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 way-station, 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 main-man, Malte Gericke.

The Stargate short film is unlike anything you have experienced before. It presents the saga of a mysterious artefact 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, inter-dimensional travel and grotesque otherworldly technology beginning in the Dark Ages and journeying into voids of deep space.

For more info on formats worldwide, see below. Pre-order Absolute Elsewhere here.

WATCH THE STARGATE BELOW:

The Stargate Approved Stills

Absolute Elsewhere hovers at nearly 45 minutes, their longest full length recording yet, the album’s two 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.

Absolute Elsewhere’s release comes alongside a 73 minute feature film All Gates Open: In Search Of Absolute Elsewhere which tells the story of their time in Berlin during the summer of 2023, while recording 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.

Pre-Order / Pre-Save Absolute Elsewhere Here

For Absolute Elsewhere, 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.

Come Fall, Blood Incantation set out on an extensive North American tour crossing both coasts and more with support from Midwife. Ahead of the run, their inaugural voyage into the Absolute Elsewhere timeline will be christened the enigmatic Master of Silence, Steve Roach, who will open the Stargate alongside the band with a hometown release show at the Boulder Theater on October 4th. All tickets are on sale now here. For a full list of dates, see below. 

Album Artwork 

ABSOLUTE ELSEWHERE TRACK LISTING:

1. The Stargate (20:20)

2. The Message (23:23)

Blood Incantation Lineup:

Paul Riedl – Guitars, Vocals

Isaac Faulk – Drums

Morris Kolontyrsky – Guitars

Jeff Barrett – Fretless Bass

Blood Incantation Absolute Else tour Dates | Hi Res Posters Here

Oct 04: Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater * (Record Release Show)
Nov 07: Portland, OR – Hawthorne ~
Nov 08: Vancouver, BC – The Rickshaw ~
Nov 09: Seattle, WA – Substation ~
Nov 11: Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone ~
Nov 12: Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater ~
Nov 13: Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole ~
Nov 15: Austin, TX – Come and Take It ~
Nov 16: Dallas, TX – Echo ~
Nov 18: Atlanta, GA – Masquerade ~
Nov 19: Tampa. FL – The Orpheum ~
Nov 21: Asheville, NC – Orange Peel ~
Nov 22: Richmond, VA – Canal Club ~
Nov 23: Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage ~
Nov 25: Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts ~
Nov 26: Brooklyn, NY – (Absolute) Elsewhere ~
Nov 27: Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall ~
Nov 29: Montreal, QC – Fairmount ~
Nov 30: Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace ~
Dec 01: Detroit, MI – Magic Stick ~
Dec 03: Chicago, IL – Metro ~
Dec 04: Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line ~
Dec 05: Omaha, NE – Bourbon Theater ~

* w/ Steve Roach

~ w/ Midwife

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