Blood Incantation

Few death metal bands from Denver push the genre as far into the cosmos as Blood Incantation. Formed in 2011, the Colorado quartet have been described as playing a psychedelic take on classic death metal, and the description fits: technical passages give way to tectonic riffs, cavernous vocals and eerie stretches of caustic stillness that recall Dødsengel. Their lyrics dwell mainly on space and death, while later releases fold in progressive music, krautrock and space rock.

Their debut album, Starspawn, appeared in 2016 through Dark Descent Records and won praise from Decibel and Stereogum, the latter arguing that the notion of psychedelic death metal sounds self-contradictory until Blood Incantation found a fusion that makes sense. They supported Immolation across North America in autumn 2019, then joined Obituary on its US tour in spring 2023, with Immolation and Ingrown, playing Milwaukee Metal Fest that May. Later that year they toured with Cannibal Corpse, Gorguts and Mayhem, and in summer 2025 went out with Krallice, Pallbearer, Steve Roach and Cynic. A spring 2026 North American tour with Emperor is scheduled.