Genre : Electronic, Ambient, Drone
Released : February 25th, 2022
Label : Century Media Records
FFO : Tangerine Dream, Boards of Canada, Kraftwerk
When progressive technical death metallers Blood Incantation announced they would be releasing an electronic ambient record, my curiosity was immediately piqued.
I know this can be a very divisive thing among the metal community whenever a band offers something radically different stylistically compared to their usual output, so if you're expecting riffs, blast beats and growls, you might be sorely disappointed.
However, if you are familiar with Blood Incantation's previous material, ambient has always been a part of their sound and is what, to me at least, made some of their lengthier compositions more digestible and brought their thematics of cosmic existentialism to life sonically.
Thus, "Timewave Zero" makes complete sense when it comes to the band's musical and conceptual identity, similarly to Loathe's "The Things They Believe" last year, being given the strong presence of atmospheric synths in their previous record as well as their affinity with electronic music since the beginning of their career.
Now, does "Timewave Zero" bring something groundbreaking to the genre? Not really.
Is it good? Yes it is, but obviously it requires a different mindset than if you were plunging into the extremities of cosmic death metal.
That being said, I personally really enjoy bands that take risks like this by dedicating a release to one singular aspect of their sound, knowing full well this isn't necessarily what will appeal to their target audience.
Like I said, despite being radically different in terms of the music itself, "Timewave Zero" does continue to expand on Blood Incantation's conceptuality and beliefs regarding the cosmos, existence and the hidden ways of the universe by naming this new release after ethnobotanist and metaphysician, Terence McKena's "timewave zero" theory.
A theory that suggests all of human history and cultural and scientific evolution are inexorably being drawn towards a "strange attractor" at the end of time and that humanity's history can be quantified within a wavelength.
Despite being comprised solely of Moog synths recorded on tape and the occasional accoustic guitar, "Timewave Zero" is still very much Blood Incantation in its intent and its character.
Will you be traveling to the end of time, or writing this off as pretentious nonsense?
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