Plexamp inserted Blood Incantation's "Absolute Elsewhere" in my random album queue. I'm thankful! 🎶

bandcamp link:
https://bloodincantation.bandcamp.com/album/absolute-elsewhere

album.link:
https://album.link/t/373991284

#Music #NowPlaying #Metal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #BloodIncantation

Neue Konzertreview online: Der US-Death-Metal-Act BLOOD INCANTATION macht auf seiner „Absolute Elsetour“ mit den Gästen ORANSSI PAZUZU aus Finnland und #SIJJIN Station in der Frankfurter #Batschkapp. https://bit.ly/3WRBML8 #BloodIncantation #OranssiPazuzu #Metal

https://www.rockstage-riot-rheinmain.de/blood-incantation.html

Saw #BloodIncantation in Athens last night. What a show! What a crowd! Just perfect...

#DeathMetal #LiveConcert

An Abstract Illusion – The Sleeping City Review

By Killjoy

When a group strikes gold, I imagine that there might be a temptation to continue mining the same vein. In 2022, Sweden’s An Abstract Illusion seized the metalverse by the collective throat and shook it with forceful pathos. Woe was a start-to-finish progressive death metal masterpiece which edged out some stiff competition to take the number one spot on my personal Top Ten(ish) list that year. The same was true for Carcharodon, whose mighty shoes—flippers?—I humbly struggle to fill. Now, with the release of The Sleeping City, An Abstract Illusion boldly declares that they are not content to repeat themselves.

As a comparison of their cover artworks suggests, The Sleeping City is something of a tonal opposite of Woe. Whereas Woe was despairing with occasional hopeful spots, The Sleeping City is mainly bright with pockets of ferocity. At its core, An Abstract Illusion still plays a deeply emotive strain of progressive death, like a more intimate and less pompous In Vain or In Mourning. Vivid neon synths in the classic fashion of Tangerine Dream or John Carpenter now abound. This invites comparisons to last year’s Blood Incantation record, but I daresay that the synths are integrated more naturally and tastefully in The Sleeping City. An Abstract Illusion never goes full synthwave, though they do flirt with the style on “Silverfields” and “Frost Flower.”

An Abstract Illusion’s unbridled emotional outpouring is still present in ways both familiar and new. To this end, the vocals are even more expressive. Christian Berglönn’s screams display his signature unsettling anguish (“No Dreams Beyond Empty Horizons,” “Emmett”) and guest Lukas Backeström’s singing in “Frost Flower” is crisp and angelic. The Sleeping City also features a couple of guest violinists (Dawn Ye and Flavia Fontana) and a cellist (Jonathan Miranda-Figueroa), who pair extremely well with the crystalline synths to hone their poignant edges. Crucially, the strings are not overused, which might have cheapened their impact. The real magic happens when these elements come together, namely during the lush instrumental section in “Blackmurmur,” which builds to a sexy synth solo (Robert Stenvall) and then erupts into despairing howls. Drummer Isak Nilsson is a great addition, whose frenetic tempos and deliberate tom rhythms heighten listener engagement.

On The Sleeping City, Karl Westerlund again proves himself a master of long-form songwriting. Unlike Woe, which felt like a singular body of work with distinct movements, The Sleeping City is composed of tracks that fit together more like jigsaw puzzle pieces. The individual tracks flow effortlessly while also subtly crossing over with one another, such as the similarly mysterious synth tunes which manifest back to back in “Frost Flower” and “Emmett.” The overall pacing feels less meticulous and patient than Woe, though this is not necessarily a bad thing, just different. An Abstract Illusion makes good use of the hour runtime; the aimless noodling at the end of “No Dreams Beyond Empty Horizons” being the only part that could have been trimmed away.1 The production doesn’t quite do this magnificent music justice—see the DR score below—but it’s hardly a dealbreaker.

The Sleeping City is evidence that Woe was not a one-hit wonder. Even more impressive, An Abstract Illusion managed to recreate prior success while significantly overhauling their style. The Sleeping City is different enough to further expand An Abstract Illusion’s fanbase while retaining the heartfelt compositions that garnered such a large following before. The gorgeous cascading arpeggios that bathe The Sleeping City are an easy highlight. Recurring notes and melodies give each track a sense of identity, yet each is of equal quality that I can’t (nor do I want to) pick any favorites. An Abstract Illusion is still firing on all cylinders, and it’s exhilarating to behold.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Willowtip Records
Websites: anabstractillusion.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/anabstractillusion
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025

#2025 #40 #AnAbstractIllusion #BloodIncantation #DeathMetal #InMourning #InVain #JohnCarpenter #Oct25 #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #SwedishMetal #TangerineDream #TheSleepingCity #WillowtipRecords

In other news, today I had a proper listen to Morris Kolontyrsky's solo album Origination.

It is a beautiful piece of work. A prime example of what happens when a progressive metal guitarist experiments with ambient soundscapes and collaborations. (I say that as a lifelong metal fan and an almost-lifelong Brian Eno fan.)

https://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/origination

#MorrisKolontyrsky #BloodIncantation #AmbientMusic

This looks intriguing: the first solo album from Blood Incantation guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky.

Recorded with involvement from Steve Roach - the ambient soundscape artist who opened for Blood Incantation in a fascinating pairing.

From the promo:

Genres: Ambient, Experimental, Metal, Drone

"The iridescent electric guitar-based pulse shows his affection for shimmering soundscapes, classic Krautrock, and everything progressive. ORIGINATION'S 69 minutes of interlocking textures ring with scorching guitar riffs drifting into sustained ghostly ambient atmospheres."

Also name your price right now.

https://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/origination

#BloodIncantation #ProgressiveMetal