Blood Incantation
Timewave Zero


3.5
great

Review

by Robert Garland STAFF
February 23rd, 2022 | 768 replies


Release Date: 2022 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Boundless.

Self-awareness is a beautiful thing. Think about this for a moment. You’re a death metal band at the top of your game. Your last record, Hidden History of the Human Race was lauded to the genre’s loftier heights—transcending critical reception and launching the band’s name well past the limits of that said genre. What do you do? Well if you’re Blood Incantation (lucky you!), you do exactly whatever you desire. Naturally, that means this death metal juggernaut is prime to release a completely ambient record, purple smoke and airy mysticism. Wait. What? Not that any of this has been a state secret. For quite a while now these guys have been pretty open about where album number three would go. Wider descriptions of psychedelics a la Pink Floyd and airy kaleidoscope ambience progressions have been dangled in front of the fan base, better known for worshiping gnarled, distorted riffs and blasted snare sections. As you could imagine, the album’s reception hasn’t yet stood the tests of time. Thankfully, Timewave Zero is a journey through both space and time. Continuing Blood Incantation’s surge from one successful record to the next.

That’s not to lift your expectations to the oh so lofty heights of the group’s previous outing, Hidden History of the Human Race oh no. In all but atmosphere, Timewave Zero is as much a departure from the band’s lauded death metal roots as the ambient genre is away from progressive death metal…chalk and cheese if you will. But there’s nothing as tasteless as chalk to be found within Timewave Zero’s eight tracks, nor is there cheese to be found within the two sides of Blood Incantation’s newest space exploration. “Io” and “Ea” ebb and flow, pulsing with the cosmic introspection of a 70s sci-fi flick; atmospheric climes become stock standard in place of the double-bass drumming and progressive guitar virtuosity the band is better known for.

Timewave Zero is synth-ly immense and strikingly minimalistic as Blood Incantation travels from one side of the universe to the other in a vehicle of their choosing. While the group’s newest effort is a deliberate and focused path to making the “most Blood Incantation record ever” the band is dismissive of trend hopping, or fitting into the expectations of unnamed third-parties, cleaning the palette for whatever is to come. Timewave Zero isn’t going to fuel everyone’s jet, and those looking for another slab of progressive death metal madness are sure to be miffed. Comparatively speaking, this little group from Denver set the bar dizzyingly high with their death metal albums one and two, but regardless of preference, Blood Incantation continues to impress—resetting the timeline as they go.



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user ratings (270)
3
good
other reviews of this album
ValenDreth (4)
Take a ride on the spiritual journey to space with Paul and company. His large rocket has enough roo...



Comments:Add a Comment 
Gnocchi
Staff Reviewer
February 23rd 2022


18262 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Tried short form, missed completely.



This is all of a 3.4 and a 3.7 all at the same time.



Century Media

Release: 25 February 2022



https://centurymedia.store/product/Y4CE513COMBO/blood-incantation-timewave-zero-transparent-orange-lp-cd-digital-download

dedex
Staff Reviewer
February 23rd 2022


12828 Comments

Album Rating: 3.4 | Sound Off

uh already??????



>Tried short form, missed completely.

i know the feeling bro



will read when I'll jam this babe!

Gnocchi
Staff Reviewer
February 23rd 2022


18262 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Thanks dede-boo. Interested to see the rating spread as it comes in.

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
February 23rd 2022


62214 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

following in the footsteps of scene influencers Loathe

parksungjoon
February 23rd 2022


47231 Comments


beherit did it first

Gnocchi
Staff Reviewer
February 23rd 2022


18262 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

but who wore it better?

parksungjoon
February 23rd 2022


47231 Comments


pd'h

Gnocchi
Staff Reviewer
February 23rd 2022


18262 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

When you lay it out like that. I guess.

Pon
Emeritus
February 23rd 2022


6096 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

👀

porcupinetheater
February 23rd 2022


11054 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Getting preemptive but feel like there’s a 30% chance I’ll still agree with it in a week

Gnocchi
Staff Reviewer
February 23rd 2022


18262 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

In which direction do you refer to?

Bedex
February 23rd 2022


3140 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

this looks yummy

DarkSideOfLucca
February 23rd 2022


18527 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

Ugh I have to listen to this in two days?



I can't keep making fun of it without jamming it, goddamnit.

DavidYowi
February 23rd 2022


3512 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

That’s how they get ya

DarkSideOfLucca
February 23rd 2022


18527 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

I can't wait to cleanse my palate with the new Corpsegrinder album after I listen to space ambient shit for like an hour.





arf
February 23rd 2022


494 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

there's so many releases on feb 25 that I won't be able to listen to them all :/



I really like this kind of development where this album is going but I've been skeptical of whether they can pull it off, so yeah guess I'll see in 2 days

JayEnder
February 23rd 2022


21026 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Actually excited for this. Can't wait to get stoned and listen

Digging: Chat Pile - Cool World

Slex
February 23rd 2022


17236 Comments


[2]

DavidYowi
February 23rd 2022


3512 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Gonna give Live Vitrification a listen to prep for this

brainmelter
Contributing Reviewer
February 23rd 2022


8414 Comments


Live Vitrification owns so hard

Digging: Despondency - Matriphagy



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