Denver band Blood Incantation set the metal world on fire with their second full-length, 2019’s Hidden History of the Human Race, a technical death-metal masterpiece that smashes together mind-bending, virtuoso-level musicianship with Middle Eastern-inspired melodies, epic prog-rock twists and turns, and sci-fi moods and flourishes. The album’s brutal, alien take on death metal earned it top honors on countless best-of-the-year lists (and regular appearances in the inzane_johnny memeverse). So where do you go after you redefine a genre? Blood Incantation chose to strip their music down to its barest elements and release a moody, spooky, ambient synth record. The eerie, intergalactic soundscapes and sinister energy of Timewave Zero (out February 25 on Century Media) are pure Blood Incantation, but the album opens new doors for the band, trading double kick drums and guttural vocals for cinematic, sweeping synth passages that could’ve come from Pink Floyd or Hawkwind. The album consists of two side-length compositions, “Io” and “Ea,” and the two-CD edition includes a third, “Chronophagia,” that’s even longer. They’re unexpectedly stirring, and show a side of the band that you didn’t know you needed but will probably love anyway.
Blood Incantation’s Timewave Zero drops 2/25 and can be streamed or purchased here.