Blood Incantation‘s highly anticipated new album Absolute Elsewhere comes out next week (10/4) via Century Media, and it’s split into two 20-ish minute pieces that are broken up into three tracks each, “The Stargate” and “The Message.” They haven’t shared any music since announcing the album back in June, until today–they’ve just released Side A, “The Stargate,” in full, along with an accompanying short film. The piece finds Blood Incantation fusing their prog side and their death metal side more seamlessly than ever before as the song treks through catchy melodeath riffs, prog workouts, ’80s sci-fi synths (played by Tangerine Dream’s Thorsten Quaeschning), earthy ’60s prog-folk, and more. It’s a hell of a song(s), and some of the most towering work from this band yet.
The short film was directed by Michael Ragen (who was also the director of photography for Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities: The Viewing and who’s worked on music videos for Portugal. The Man, Gucci Mane, Skrillex, and more) with analog fluid effects by Chris Parks. Check it out below.
Blood Incantation also have a 73-minute documentary film about the making of the album called All Gates Open: In Search Of Absolute Elsewhere on the way, and they’re gearing up for a fall tour with Midwife that hits NYC on November 26 at Elsewhere. All dates are listed below.
Blood Incantation — 2024 Tour Dates
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