The Death Metal Thread

Today's the day I'm finally back on metal.  I've gotten my list percentages in a comfortable spot and can check out an entire catalog right now without undoing the hard work I put into expanding my horizons for months.  And I'll start with this particular catalog's demo era onwards.

Blood Incantation - Demo II (2013)

Genre: Death Metal

Unable to find the first demo's first track, I moved right onto the second one in disappointment.  This one's a bit fuzzy, naturally, but the helps just as much as it hinders.  There's a bit more charm here than there is distraction.  These early attempts aren't the heaviest songs, but the compositions show some definite early traces of major skill.  I could hear things largely clearly, although it's pretty clear that the group didn't intend to use the fuzziness to their advantage, meaning it helped on its own.  Having heard many demos and bootlegs, I was still able to enjoy this as the riffs and the layouts were just fine.

72/100

Blood Incantation - Astral Spells (2014)

Genres: Death Metal

This one made a point of going a step forward pretty quickly.  On this demo, the band gets a vocalist who's perfect for the music but doesn't amaze on his own.  Instead, the much clearer though still imperfect production and updated proggy technicality help it stand out on the first side.  Now is this the most innovative progression?  Not really.  It's fun to listen to and keeps things alive for the short runtime, but I feel like I could've thought of some of these tricks.  The percussions feel a bit weak in comparison to everything else, and even though vocals should be a little drowned by the instrumentation at times, there were times where I could barely hear the singer.

And then I got mental whiplash from a poorly produced live side.  What was the point of even including this recording on anything?  If the fuzz wasn't bad enough, the angle at which this live side was recorded couldn't properly capture everything.  Instruments, especially the percussions, were constantly drowning out others, and I could only barely hear the singing.  I would go as far as to say that this live side ruined what was already a perfectly functional EP.

Strangely enough, this album sometimes felt like an Immortal release, so it was pretty easy to compare one extreme album to another, no pun intended.  Even after having re-evaluated Battles in the North and giving it only 3-stars while Immortal's debut kept the same rating, I feel like this album lands somewhere in the middle of the two. With the first side being so good, I was going to go for the higher side of middle, but this live side confirmed that I'm going with the lower side.

Blood Incantation - Interdimensional Extinction (2015)

Genres: Tech Death Metal

Now for the real Blood Incantation.  This is the first of their releases to get great ratings online.  Starting this short EP with The Vth Tablet, I found that the song's production was practically perfect, but as far as a progressive metal song goes, I'm not quite sure I haven't heard this before.  It's great to hear them expanding their horizons, and finding very careful ways to include synths, but this track didn't greatly interest me until 3-minutes in when the guitar solo started, and that's when things got rough.  Unfortunatley, the song ended like 30 seconds later... Not the best way to introduce the new production.  Thankfully, Obfuscating the Linear Threshold showed a major improvement in how the "convoluted" (as one Bandcamp reviewer mentioned) percussions and riffs came together.  This one was a much more unpredictable song that often jolted into different vibes so quickly that they may have been different songs.  So while all of these parts are cool, this song feels more like a disjointed collective rather than a perfectly fleshed out piece of art.  But don't get me wrong, there are easily some 9/10 bits in this otherwise 8/10 song.  I'd just prefer less "Look what I can do" and more "listen to the song."

Hovering Lifeless kicks off side B with a quieter guitar tone but a complex and somewhat jazzy drum session.  This song, once again, is done before, but maintains the both the intrigue and the structural flaws of the previous track.  These guys are incredible at blast beats, but the constant jolts into totally different vibes with no sense of build up kind of goes against itself.  Death's Symbolic had a damn good sense of build up and maintained the technical aspects they invented on Human quite flawlessly.  It was nice, however, to get a synth solo, even though it was short as hell, and even ends the damn song.  Finally, there's Subterranean Eon.  This one starts out with a stronger sense of balance between complexity, melody and the switches between different levels of heaviness.  This maintained a straightforward yet ever-shifting composition that remained interesting throughout most of its length.  Easily the best track, IMO.

So if I had to describe this album quickly, I'd say it's "much cooler than it is good."  It's a largely riff-oriented album that shows the band sometimes confusing unpredictability with "prog metal."  The general vibes are great and the production is almost perfect, but there needs to be more death metal vocals and more time to flesh all these ideas into other songs.  Still, this is easily the best of the three so far.  Kinda glad this isn't getting on the 80-100 chart and taking up space, which means I may have room for the new Deafheaven.

78/100

I'll be skipping the split with Spectral Voice for the time being, and moving onto the debut next.

Blood Incantation - Starspawn (2016)

Genres: Tech Death Metal

I'm extraordinarily happy that I finally get to catch up on Blood Incantation.  Checking out all of their earlier demos and EP's that I could find, I was flat-out excited for their debut album, Starspawn, which was the album that put them on the metal map.  At first I didn't pay a lot of attention to them, as death isn't necessarily my favorite metal subgenre and RYM year chart ratings are practically dominated by metalheads.  Hell, right now the number one album for 2025 is the new Deafheaven.  However, to be able to say that I am the first to write a Metal Academy review for this album after having been released for almost ten years seems almost impossible to me, so I'll just roll with it and accept the honor.  But before I review it, lemme fill you in on something the band confirmed about this debut album: "Everything was done live with tubes, tape, etc – there are no triggers, click-tracks or quantized anything on the recording, no cut & paste and very few punch-ins."

A minute and a half in and I was already wide-eyed.  Blood Incantation struggled to find their sound and the proper structural techniques needed to really standout for a while, but this album seemed to make a point of harmony in the whole band pretty damn early on.  This one is CREEPY.  Right on the opening 13-minute epic (super bold move for a 35-minute album with five tracks), the band makes their their darkest release so far, ripping the very idea of riffs in half with some incredible and very disturbing tricks that suck you right into a psychedelic black hole and then, as Sarris would say, "tears through it like tissue paper."  It's not even a new step forward in death metal by any means whatsoever.  This is the standard, straightforward death metal sound with masterful progressive behavior.  The build-up issues and unpredictability of their previous EP, Interdimensional Extinction, are fixed to perfection, made seemingly effortless, like if Fix-It Felix just lightly struck his golden magic hammer to it.  The outstanding production works in tandem with Reidl's and Kolontyrsky's guitars.  Although everyone is working at max power, the show stealers are the two guitarists.  There's a beautiful presence their just forged from dark matter, driving the amazing, disturbing and sometimes psychedelic guitar work through the production's incredible ambiance.  I may even go as far as to say that this became my new favorite death metal track.

Next was Choaplasm, and I began it immediately thinking to myself, "There's no way they're going to top that first track, right?  But they can at least come close with the upcoming songs."  This one's more metronomical, and a bit more brutal and effectively primitive because of it.  It's also much more vocal, allowing our singer Riedl to make the most of the verses he sings and the ambient textures created through the production.  At a short five minutes, this song did a great job of continuing the presence of the previous song with a more primitive approach.  The real challenge was how to put a spin on things with track three, Hidden Species (ViB Pt. II).  Now as it's a part two, does that mean the wild balance of varying elements becomes the determining factor in yet another song, hinting at repetition?  Yes and no.  This song shoves astral ambiance down your throat without getting in the way of the rest of the band doing its job while giving Riegl plenty of time to sing.  It appears that the dark ambient genre had a say in the atmospheric choices of this song, allowing drawn out reverb to take over the atmosphere and leaving drummer Isaac Faulk to take over with his incredible jazz timing.

Track four kicks off with dark ambient noise backgrounds, combining noise with winds in a familiar yet skillful and chilling way.  I was a bit nervous about this song due to RYM tagging it a dark folk song, but the way they introduce the song and the sound effect choices they made work perfectly with the darker, sombre tones.  It was the right thing to do to include such a creepy yet somewhat metallic folk track on an album that occasionally played with sound effects and death doom.  And appropriately after the winds have died down, the final track, the title track, slams you with extreme death metal like you're a contestant on Takeshi's Castle.  Right in the face.  When I think about it, going for this type of extreme may have been done before as early as the earliest, but stylistically, it's the proper way to end the album: raw, unhinged, unadulterated extreme metal.  It's the same way Metallica began Ride the Lightning.  This doesn't stop the band from being Blood Incantation.  This song goes into unconventional riffs and repetitive progression in a way that says, "you've seen the weirder side of us.  Now that you know who and what we are, have some traditional death, on the house."

My metal fanboyism considered the possibility that this would be a flawless debut, but I didn't think it was actually going to happen.  It has been a long time since I've had this much fun with a death metal album.  The band masters all the familiar essentials like they're bringing them to the stage for the first time in human history.  Starspawn serves as a focused yet beautifully unhinged reminder that traditional death metal is not dead, and can still be among the best of the best even 40 years after its inception.

100

Blood Incantation - Live Vitrification (2018)

Genres: Tech Death Metal, Dark Ambient

After having fallen in love with Starspawn, especially its thirteen minute openerand six minute sequel that serves as the namesake for this album, I was excited for this live piece.  Both pieces are played in one whole on this album.  I was really hoping for something incredible after the disappointment of their attempt at putting a live B-side on one of their earlier demos, so I was slightly weary of another life album that early in their career.  But as soon as I turn this on and the cheering stops, I'm practically shot in the head by death metal extremes with a giant-ass Remington.  Not only are the extremes on this live rendition of my favorite death metal song improved on, but I hear everything among the blackened noise.  Everything from the spoace-like ambiance to the blastbeats outperforms the studio comparison, so already half of the album is one of the greatest life performances I've ever heard.  Cloud 99, and you read that right.

But I listened to the ORIGINAL edition with the second track, which takes a dark / black ambient approach.  A real fan would check that out.  As well, I don't like the idea of cutting an album in half for future releases, so I'm sticking with this edition.  Now my first thought was that they could easily make it work, considering the inclusion of that effects-oriented folk song on side B of Starspawn.  The moment it turns on it sounds lo-fi, which isn't necessarily bad, but is usually bad.  A number of problems can associate from including a side B of a totally different genre, including loss of flow, loss of interest and an obvious inferiority from one genre to another.  But this is BLOOD INCANTATION.  We'll see how it goes.

Now even though I have given 100's to some special ambient pieces, I still often struggle with ten-minute plus ambient songs.  Even two minutes in, while I liked the direction it was going in well enough, it took a while for that wild personality the band cemented on their first EP to really show its colors.  Blodd Incantation had developed a habit of forcing the point on your in a quick yet lovable way, and although the dark ambient aspects are properly chilling throughout and do a damn good job relaxing me in tandem with my cinnamon coffee, this is also their first time in ambient.  They didn't manage to bring all the charm of their skills in reverb to this otherwise nice and calming track.  There are vocals in the background that give you some interesting dialogue on the natural world, life on other planets, and other sci-fi topics that work well for the vibe they're going for.  This is the kind of ambient track that successfully plants images in your head throughout the whole run.

It's pretty cute that Blood Incantation thinks they can just cut out a whole half.  I say, DEAL WITH IT.  You dug your own grave just as easily as you released practice EP's.  Besides, I believe every artist has the right to expand their horizons and practice.  If not for tracks like this, they wouldn't have ever made an album like their beloved Absolute Everywhere, so that second half is a piece of history, and I will judge the album with it in mind.  SO while the live track is easily one of the finest metal performances I've ever heard, this otherwise good ambient track doesn't fit perfectly well.  I still highly recommend this album for metalheads, though.

93

Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race (2019)

Genres: Tech Death Metal, Prog Death Metal

Although I've heard largely raw praise for this sophomore album by Blood Incantation, there's an ongoing debate as to whether or not this is an improvement over Starspawn.  My immediate thought was that it was due to a change in pace.  Normally, I like changes in pace, but only if the artist keeps the established identity as well.  I had no way of knowing which would reign supreme on this album.

Its opener, Slave Species of the Gods, is absolutely brutal and a little sludgy.  This was obviously going to be a deeper album that before, and I appreciated the stronger focus on heaviness and progression, especially since this means they're attempting a new direction.  However, despite all the skill they put into it, this is a more generic song on the whole.  On Starspawn, the band took all familiar traits of death and maximized the full potential.  There seems to be less trickery on this opener, so hopefully that would be remedied on later tracks.  I had an 18-minute closer to look forward to, after all.  The Giza Power Plant was seven minutes, which would normally leave a lot of room for some new tricks.  But the most it did was switch from a brutal song to a slower and more ambient one for four minutes before ending on the brutal note.  Now this had incredible moments about it, but it was largely boasting things that were done with more creativity on Starspawn.  Track 3, Inner Paths (To Outer Space), goes into a very deep and sombre opening before slowly emerging as a prog metal track in a similar vein to the folk track on Star Spawn, Meticulous Soul Devourment.  Taking MSD's place as the "vibe" track, this one also includes drowned dialogues like in the cut ambient track from Live Vetrification before fully crossing the bridge into prog death metal, and then finally into brutal death, never once losing sight of the balance, pacing or atmosphere, feeling right at home with Giza Power Plant and artistically contradicting Slave Species of the Gods.  Obviously, the intro song is totally outshined, and would've been more properly placed as the second track.

Now it was time for the majesty.  I had full faith that Blood Incantation would amaze me with another nearly 20-minute epic of raw art, but kept the idea of monotony in mind due to the poorly placed intro song's generic behavior.  It was obvious from the start that the heaviness had been improved on.  This is probably their heaviest and most thunderous track, or at least it starts that way.  And let me tell you, it's very good.  They put together something that remains brutal and challenging throughout.  A few surprises wait throughout the eighteen minutes, but that's only a few.  Otherwise, this is simply a great effort technically and production-wise, but I was hoping for something mindblowing.

This sophomore, in my opinion, is a little more generic.  It carries some of the Starspawn weirdness and a few little traces of what's to come on their legendary third album, but otherwise, I'll say it's simply a great way to introduce death metal to someone.  Another great effort on their part, but not five-stars.  Honestly, I wonder if they were simply trying to sell or to get noticed?  They didn't betray their talents, but much of the identity was gone.

93, just like Live Vitrification.

Blood Incantation - Timewave Zero (2021)

Genres: Space Ambient

I've mentioned before that, while I like ambient, I've struggled with it as well.  Even in a slow-paced ambient album, things need to mutate and change for it to draw me in.  A fine example of sluggish non-rock that mutates over a long period of time would be Basinski's Disintegration Loops.  Excellent delivery of its theme.  But if things aren't really going to happen, then I'll lose interest.  Timewave Zero seems to be a good example of how little can happen in an ambient album.

It looks like this was their practice run in developing what would come to be Absolute Everywhere, so a couple of lesser-known failures may be expected, but it would still be nice if this were a good album.  These two long tracks, sometimes separated in four movements depending on the release, are very simple and very "easy."  A band like Blood Incantation likely knows by now that activity is a large part of their identity.  Such rambunctious behavior was made present as early as Demo II (I have yet to find a complete Demo I).  But from hoew easygoing and predictable this 40-minute EP is, it's safe to say that the band decided to make a little extra money by passing off this practice run in the world of space ambient as a release.   Every atmospheric trick they try to pull off might be reminiscent of space, but only because these tricks were perfected with much more originality by the likes of Tangerine Dream.  It finally takes a turn by introducing a guitar melody halfway through the second 20-minute track, and even then it just fades away after a few minutes without changing gears at all.

I'd really have to say that this is the worst of the Blood Incantation releases so far.  I understand that the practice is necessary, but the idea of releasing it was nothing more than a cash grab.  Maybe they'll be much better at the space ambient thing one day, but this practice run is nothing more than that.

58

Blood Incantation - Absolute Everywhere (2024)

Genres: Prog Death Metal

This is it, the conclusion of my Blood Incantation marathon.  This is the album that gave me reason to check them out, and I finally have room for them on my albums log as my need to explore other genres made me late to this party.  A death metal album taking influence from the 70's German rock and electronic scene?  For a wacko like me, that's a dream to good to be true.  But what with all the dick-sucking going around for this album, one can't help but wonder, does it live up to the legend, or is it overhyped?

Immediately the prog rock and prog electronic influences are used as key ingredients in the hyperactive death metal, but the album also makes a point of switching genres mid-song from death metal to prog rock two minutes into Stargate Pt. 1.  I have to admit, while the instrumentation was beyond magnificent, rivaling the best aspects of their incredible debut, the sudden genre switch was a little jarring.  I would've preferred a little more buildup and a little more death in the beginning.  Was this a bad omen, or would I learn to accept that after hearing the rest of the album?  Stargate Pt. 2 was an intriguing and powerful prog electronic track that recalled all the best aspects of Tangerine Dream and Vangelis while remaining a Blood Incantation song, proving that they've mastered the art of electronics after having struggled so much with it on their previous ambient EP, Timewave Zero.  In the last two minutes, it carefully turns into a prog rock song with some beautiful Tullian flute.  Even the last bit of death metal feels pretty naturally handled.  Pt. 3 makes for some fantastic death metal in both technique and production.  There's this middle section of acoustic guitars mimicking the worldbeat vibes of The Tea Party, but it doesn't last long enough, unfortunately.  And some of the electronics that make the album so unique are present at the end, but not for long.

The next epic, the three part Message, begins with a more upbeat, melodic and almost alternative take on death metal, one that recalls the noisy but anthemic and somewhat aquatic atmospheres of Biomech.  But after 50 seconds, they switch back to the same old death metal.  Thankfully, the extremities are met at a capacity I have only ever dreamed about!  They go back to the original format after another 50 seconds or so, which is an interesting take and makes me glad there's more of that new sound involved. But once again, the standard but impressive death metal sound overtakes the balance.  I mean, they're playing some excellent riffs that make me wanna rip my shirt off and fly into the sun with a bottle of whiskey, but shouldn't they take the time to really expand on the new tricks?  Part 2 goes right into the prog rock, pulled right out of the 70's British scene with surprisingly authentic melodies that blend with the death sound on occasion.  It even has vocals that sound way too much like Roger Waters.  But if they could do that all along, then they SHOULD'VE used them a little more in previous tracks to expand on the various tricks they were trying to play.  Still, this one revived both the Pink Floyd prog and the more conventional kind of prog in one go while maintaining the atmospheric strengths of previous Blood Incantation albums.

And then... Part 3 took me by 100% surprise by introducing itself with a power metal riff of all things.  It has a tendency to switch things around though, as, once again, the power metal was not lived up to.  But it DID do an excellent job of maintaining many of the past sounds and tricks at a reasonable balance beyond that while delivering on of their best epics since Vitrification.  This one is easily the most epic-feeling song on the album, recalling the whole spirit of the band and its improved sense of effects and reverberations, as well as Faulk's wonderful drumming.  This song is also an excellent example of how our two guitarists have impeccable synchronization.  All is a relatively perfect harmony until in fades into aquatic sound effects, bringing our epic to a close.

This also closes my epic adventure in the Blood Incantation catalog.  What with this genre-tagging including space rock and Berlin school, I was stunned that a death metal album was finally attempting these things.  It's been 30 years since Emperor put synths in black metal, so an album like this is way late.  However, was it perfect?  While I admire a band for trying to reinvent the genre, there were some areas where the unique tricks and extra genre choices needed a little more balance.  If they fix that on the next album, you may end up having the greatest death metal album in the world.

97