Every once in a while, a band comes along that completely changes the perception of what heavy metal music can be. For the last decade, that band has been Blood Incantation. Emerging from Denver, Colorado, these four musicians have built a bridge between brutal death metal and the vast unknown of outer space. They’ve managed to combine savage intensity with deep atmosphere, raw emotion with cosmic philosophy. In a scene often obsessed with speed, precision and brutality, Blood Incantation stand out for being something else entirely — a death metal band that dares to think, to explore, to experiment, to transcend. These prog/space death metal navigators will play for us at Floyd – Live Music Venue, in Athens Greece, on October 16th, 2025!
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
Blood Incantation was born in 2011, when Paul Riedl (vocals, guitars), Isaac Faulk (drums), Morris Kolontyrsky (guitars), and Jeff Barrett (bass) came together in the Denver underground. The city’s metal scene was already thriving, with bands like Spectral Voice and Wayfarer building a strong local movement. But even among them, Blood Incantation had a distinct vision.
They didn’t want to just play old-school death metal. They wanted to make it feel alive, spiritual and cosmic. Their early demos and the 2015 EP “Interdimensional Extinction” gave a clear taste of their direction — a mixture of Morbid Angel-inspired riffs, eerie melodies, and a strange sense of ancient mystery. It was brutal, yes, but also weirdly meditative. This was death metal made for stargazers and philosophers, not just mosh pits.
When “Starspawn” dropped in 2016, the metal underground exploded. The album was only five songs long, but it was enough to make Blood Incantation one of the most talked-about new bands in extreme music.
“Starspawn” is a masterpiece of progressive death metal, the kind of record that challenges both the mind and the neck muscles. The opening track, “Vitrification of Blood (Pt. 1)”, lasts over 13 minutes — a swirling, ever-changing journey through riffs, tempos and dimensions. The music feels ancient and futuristic at the same time, filled with technical precision but driven by raw emotion.
Instead of chasing studio perfection, Blood Incantation kept things organic and analog, recording with warmth and imperfection. The result feels human — chaotic, breathing and real. Every note vibrates with energy. This album instantly marked a new era for death metal — one where the genre could again be intelligent, ambitious, and limitless.
Three years later, Blood Incantation returned with “Hidden History of the Human Race” (2019), a record that cemented their reputation as modern death metal visionaries. The title alone feels like a secret book or a forbidden documentary — and the music fits perfectly. The album dives into concepts like ancient civilizations, alien life, lost knowledge and the evolution of human consciousness. But this is mythology, wrapped in cosmic death metal form. From the opening blast of “Slave Species of the Gods” to the monumental 18-minute closer “Awakening from the Dream of Existence to the Multidimensional Nature of Our Reality (Mirror of the Soul)”, the record flows like a single cosmic journey. It’s brutal but beautiful, chaotic but meaningful. The band recorded the entire thing live to tape, without digital editing or artificial fixes. That gives it a natural energy that most modern records lack — a feeling that you’re hearing four musicians actually communicating in real time. The result? One of the most universally acclaimed death metal albums of the 21st century. “Hidden History of the Human Race” didn’t just please the underground — it crossed over, appearing on mainstream metal lists and introducing the band to fans who normally wouldn’t go near guttural vocals. Blood Incantation proved that death metal could still evolve — not by softening its edges, but by deepening its ideas.
After such a massive success, many expected Blood Incantation to double down on their death metal power. Instead, they did something nobody saw coming. In 2022, they released “Timewave Zero”, a completely ambient album — no death growls, no riffs, no drums. Just synthesizers, drones, and soundscapes that felt like transmissions from a distant planet. At first, fans were shocked. But once you listened closely, you realized it made perfect sense. “Timewave Zero” was the other side of their philosophy — the meditative, spiritual half that had always been hidden beneath the blast beats. It’s dark, cinematic, and oddly peaceful, like floating alone in deep space. Some critics didn’t understand it, but others praised its courage. Blood Incantation were following inspiration. And that’s what real artists do.
The latest album of the Denver-prog/space death metallers is “Absolute Elsewhere”, released in 2024, via Century Media again. With “Absolute Elsewhere”, Blood Incantation for another time proved they’re operating on a completely different plane of creativity. Recorded at the legendary Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin and produced by Arthur Rizk, the quartet’s fourth album is an ambitious, cosmic trip that blurs the boundaries between death metal, progressive metal, and ‘70s-style prog rock. The album consists of just two monumental tracks, each divided into three “tablets”, stretching past the 20-minute mark and flowing like vast interstellar symphonies.
Frontman Paul Riedl called it “a Herzog-style sci-fi epic about the history of human consciousness” and he’s not wrong — this is death metal as philosophy, full of shifting moods, alien soundscapes and intricate musicianship. With synth contributions from Thorsten Quaeschning of kraut rock legends Tangerine Dream and a production that feels both earthy and celestial, “Absolute Elsewhere” sounds massive yet strangely intimate. Critics have called it “prog-death perfection” and they’re right — Blood Incantation have delivered another visionary statement that transcends genre and cites them as one of metal’s most forward-thinking bands. A cosmic masterpiece …
Blood Incantation’s music lives somewhere between the ancient and the cosmic. You can hear the old-school influence — Morbid Angel, Death, Gorguts— but their sound also carries traces of Pink Floyd, King Crimson, even Brian Eno. They mix technical musicianship with psychedelic atmosphere, creating songs that feel both intellectual and instinctive. You can analyze their time signatures and chord progressions all day, but at the end of the day, it just feels right — heavy, mysterious, emotional.
Their lyrics are an essential part of the experience. Instead of the usual death metal gore or blasphemy, they explore ancient myths, alien knowledge, consciousness and transformation. It’s death metal that asks questions instead of giving answers.
Visually, the band’s artwork and stage imagery match their cosmic identity. Their album covers are full of alien landscapes, glowing symbols and metaphysical geometry. On stage, they perform in near darkness, surrounded by swirling lights and projections of galaxies, temples, and planetary orbits. It’s not just a concert — it’s a ritual, a journey through time and space.
Seeing Blood Incantation live is something else. Their performances are intense, hypnotic, completely immersive. The band doesn’t waste time with stage banter — they let the music do the talking.
Riedl’s growls echo like ancient chants, the guitars twist and weave like serpents, and the rhythm section pulses with almost ritualistic power. When they launch into a song like “Vitrification of Blood”, “The Giza Power Plant” or “The Stargate”, the crowd isn’t just headbanging, they’re traveling.
Blood Incantation have achieved something remarkable — they’ve become a major force in death metal without compromising their artistic vision. They’ve proven that you don’t need to water down your sound or chase trends to reach people. You just need honesty, passion, and creativity.
Their influence is already spreading. A new generation of bands is following their path — embracing atmosphere, complexity, and mysticism instead of simple brutality. Blood Incantation have opened the door for cosmic death metal, and the galaxy seems infinite.
What comes next? Nobody knows. Maybe they’ll return with another death metal masterpiece. Maybe they’ll dive even deeper into ambient and experimental sounds. Whatever they do, one thing is certain: it will be authentic.
In a world full of predictable bands, Blood Incantation are explorers. And for those of us who still believe that metal is about curiosity, depth and transformation, they are a reminder that the genre is far from done evolving.
