Album Review: Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race

Blood Incantation

Hidden History of the Human Race 

***and1/2 out of *****

The Denver based death metal outfit Blood Incantation's second album is a blast of outer space metal that soars among the cosmos and plunges into the darkness and mayhem with equal ease. Hidden History of the Human Race is a mind expanding metal album with flourishes of prog, psych and symphonic rock.

Opening with "Slave Species of the Gods" the band gets off to a fairly standard start as ripping guitars guttural vocals, killer drums, mix with a few psychedelic production effects to craft a damn solid opener. However it is on the rest of the record where things really take off as "The Giza Power Plant" manages to mix Cannibal Corpse ferocity with Pink Floyd-like moments. There are angular changes dynamite drumming and a mid-section which shuffles out into the black hole void of tripped out bliss.

The four piece, Isaac Faulk-Drums, Paul Riedl - Guitars, Vocals, Morris Kolontyrsky - Guitars, Jeff Barrett - Bass, are technically astute shifting and shredding their respective parts with a communal sense of purpose. Like all efforts in this genre the impenetrable vocals act more as a deterrent than a necessary artistic statement, masking lyrics behind roaring throat exercises. "Inner Paths (To Outer Space)" is the most experimental of the songs beginning as a prog sound collage instrumental, slowly rising increasing its trudging power closing with a growling vocal belch.

The culmination of the record is the eighteen minute closing opus elegantly titled "Awakening From The Dream Of Existence To The Multidimensional Nature Of Our Reality (Mirror Of The Soul)". The twisting and turning journey has the feeling of three songs segregated by spacey interludes, but the thundering low end, shape shifting squealing guitars and distorted yelling never falters as things push into the unknown.

A thrilling death metal record that will both please any fan of the genre as well as those who only dabble in the heavy morbid tunes. Blood Incantation are on the path to much larger things with the satisfying Hidden History of the Human Race. 
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