Blood Incantation – Timewave Zero – Album Review

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We love Blood Incantation. Fuckin’ love ‘em! We worship the elevated ground these otherworldly progressive death metallers walk on. They already had us with 2016’s practically perfect Starspawn and when 2019’s Hidden History Of The Human Race landed, we were ready to bend over and allow them to take us roughly from behind – submission fully guaranteed!

So, understandably, expectations for Timewave Zero were understandably high. But this is not Blood Incantation folks, at least not as we know ‘em. 

Timewave Zero isn’t even death metal. No sir. Not that we should be surprised, as this swerve into an ambient left-field was forecasted by the band themselves, but that still doesn’t detract from how damn disappointing it is. 100% instrumental, there’s not a whiff of death metal in sight – not even a cursory growl – and while there’s something be said for sticking to your guns and following your own path, the resulting drawn-out droning soundscapes of “Io” and “Ea” infuriate as opposed to enthral. This is not what we signed up for!     

This is one hell of a risk for a band who were just starting to cement their place at the very top of the death metal hierarchy, and the potential for alienating vast swathes of their fanbase with this release is huge. We’re for all challenging preconceptions but the tedious nature of Timewave Zero gave us no pleasure at all. There’s an audience for this shit somewhere out there in the cosmos….but we doubt it’s Blood Incantation’s audience. 2/10

Blood Incantation‘s Timewave Zero is due for release on February 25th, 2022 via Century Media Records