Here we are, my favourite album of the year. Blood Incantation are no communal garden death metal act. They have always shown promise to create something rather spectacular and finally this year they have fulfilled that. “Absolute Elsewhere” is astonishing. Astonishing in its scope, astonishing in its scale, astonishing in its creativity and astonishing in its virtuosity. It is the sound of rich 70’s prog crashing up against early 90’s technical death metal. The two entwine together create a holy matrimony that is creatively far more than the sum of the two parts.

It consists of two tracks (with a combined run length of 43 minutes), with the tracks divided into three sections entitled “Tablets”. It is a freefall psychedelic journey into the unknown. There are points where it sounds like a million supernovas happening simultaneously, then it instantaneously scales itself back down to a point where it feels like a pin dropping in a silent room

It’s two integral styles are both delivered perfectly. The death metal components are by far some of the finest and most technically proficient death metal I have heard in absolutely years. The prog is warm, enveloping and immersive. Together they blend spectacularly and the switch from one diametrically opposed genre to the other never feels forced or synthetic. Instead, everything exists in a naturally flowing form, continually folding in on itself.

This is a majestic masterpiece of an album that shows the widescreen cosmic possibilities of heavy metal. It is ambitious and fearless. It continually changes direction with every new musical form more audacious and more spatially challenging than the last. It takes extreme metal in a whole different direction pushing boundaries with self-assured ease. It is fantastic and very much my album of the year. Thank you.

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