Patton Oswalt has a bit about not being interested in where the things he love came from, specifically speaking of the “Star Wars” films. He makes good points. Did we need to see Darth Vader as a blonde-haired boy? Boba Fett as a child? I mean, any of the Gungans? Perhaps not, though the films can help you make connections, strange as they may be.

“All Gates Open” isn’t exactly that for Blood Incantation—vocalist/guitarist Paul Riedl, guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky, fretless bassist Jeff Barrett, drummer Isaac Faulk—but it does give you a lot of hints as to why their amazing third LP “Absolute Elsewhere” turned out the way it did, as this music was composed before that record even came to be. And the four ambient, synth-rich, cosmos-fueled tracks and an hour of music act as a soundtrack for the documentary of the same name, detailing the genesis of “Elsewhere.” Weidl calls it a “yang” to “Timewave Zero,” their first fully instrumental release, and there’s a lot of logic there. It’s a different pathway into their brains fully devoid of brutality and death metal.   

“Balance” opens calmly, space passing by your window, icy keys plinking as the atmosphere grows more immersive. The dreaminess thickens accompanied by fluttering notes and breezy bolts of imagination, the fog building to an unmanageable level, thoughts spilling through the mind. Sounds ring as a new reality dawns, keys lull then zap, a rubbery strangeness forms and sweeps at the stars. “Flight” emits a sci-fi glow, rises and pumps, the song’s heart swelling, a gentle foray into New Age magic opening. Keys swirl and swim through star belts, melodies glisten, and the edges of dreams pull you back, glistening as clicks echo and drum beats rattle. The added percussion elements drive as everything takes on a lab aura, blending into celestial light, gushing and fading.

“Dawn” is the shortest track by far at 5:43, and organs rise, lighting with a 1970s prog sheen, warming up as the synth laps and simmers, blurring your sight. Deeper sounds surface and sink again, keys murmur and vibrate, and everything returns to dust. Closer “Rain” starts with keys trancing, soothing as they awaken, sounds tingling as the mists thicken. Guitars break and give off a summery vibe, and then sounds blur as the acoustics gush, everything swirling through your mind as the elements give off an engine-like moan. A synth string blends new colors, mixing light and dark, encircling as the pressure releases.

As a film soundtrack, “All Gates Open” certainly sounds like a moving and hypnotic way to view their documentary, though having not see it yet I cannot fully understand its impact there. As a collection that shows the bridge between “Timewave Zero” and “Absolute Elsewhere,” it does act as connective tissue that shows another progression for this band’s creative and artistic process. It shouldn’t shock anyone who has been on the entire journey with this band, but it also stands as evidence as to where their heads where at before they created a  modern death metal masterpiece.    

For more on the band, go here: https://bloodincantation.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://centurymedia.store/

Or here (Europe): https://www.cmdistro.de/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.centurymedia.com/