Hidden History of the Human Race

This created quite a surge of support in the death metal underground last month, unbeknownst to myself. It took a fellow writer to point me in the direction of Colorado deathsters Blood Incantation, and their weird-ass themes of the mysterious Anunnaki mythos. The quartet blew many minds with their debut full-length, Starspawn, back in 2016 and their sophomore, Hidden History Of The Human Race, is set to do exactly the same. Both albums are structured in very much the same way, except this time around the mammoth lengthy epic track is (more suitably) at the end. I must say, as a lyrical concept, the Annunaki is something that should be explored by more acts of this ilk. The ancient celestial aura of the Sumerian Gods adds a basting of alien-esque atmospheres to a record that thrives on being ‘alien’.

Despite the eerie mysticism surrounding the lyrical themes (including that amazing artwork), Blood Incantation waste no time in displaying their penchant for writing brutal yet mature death metal that sounds like it came right out of the early ’90s. As a matter of fact; upon first listen, me and two friends all described Hidden History… as equal parts Gorguts, Immolation and Death. When blasting at full force, they resemble Immolation’s more modern output; the irregular time signatures, angular melodies and occasional unconventional instrumentation are very Gorguts; yet the whole affair is polished with the maturity of some of Chuck Schuldiner’s works. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that track 3, “Inner Paths (To Outer Space)”, at points, strongly resembles Death’s “Cosmic Sea”. This is no bad thing. Blood Incantation take their influences, wear them proudly, and then bend them to fit their own brand of forged mastery.

Although this record certainly does not go for ‘catchy’, opening track “Slave Species Of The Gods” serves as an appropriately accessible introductory statement. Within this 5-minute firebomb are all the great things about this band in a concise package: viciously chromatic riffs, startling pinches, cavernous vocals and a drummer who simply will not sit still. This is Blood Incantation at their most accessible, and there are some slamming riffs towards the song’s climax. “The Giza Power Plant” takes a more reflective, progressive approach but hits with no less impact. If the album were made up of 6 of this song, that would be one hell of a listening experience. However, Hidden History… is saving its jackpot for the finale. Having already mentioned the Schuldiner-esque instrumental “Inner Paths (To Outer Space)” – which, by the way, has one of the best riffs on the album at the 4:27 mark – I now need to devote quite a chunk of text to the 18-minute beast that is “Awakening From The Dream Of Existence To The Multidimensional Nature Of Our Reality (Mirror Of The Soul)”.

I’m not only devoting a paragraph because it requires a chunk of text to relay the amazing title, but because I would happily pay the price of the album for this song alone. Basically rhapsodic in structure, it takes the listener on a whirlwind journey through different death metal environments. The maelstrom madness of the first third is countered by the ambient interlude, then some real headbang-worthy sections around the 10-minute point. The hulking groove that drops at 11:38, followed by the utterly gargantuan riff at 12:31, then the sincerely gorgeous acoustic playout make this one of the most satisfyingly exhausting musical experiences ever. Overall, this disc could probably do with one more track. After all, this is the kind of progressive genre that can take extensive lengths. However, the quality of what’s on offer here simply cannot be denied. Blood Incantation can rest easy knowing that Hidden History Of The Human Race is going to top many year-end lists.