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The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Ep518: Year One of Absolute Elsewhere w/ Blood Incantation

The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Nate Goyer

Music, Music History, Music Interviews

4.7 • 579 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2025

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Paul Riedl and Morris Kolontyrsky of Blood Incantation discuss the incredible 1st year of the album "Absolute Elsewhere", how it's transformed their lives and art, the creation of the record, the band's deep interest in vinyl collecting and lots more.

Enter to win a signed vinyl copy of "Absolute Elsewhere" by becoming a sponsor at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Topics Include:

  • Absolute Elsewhere transformed their lives: bigger venues, mainstream press, entirely new audiences.
  • Album allows new stage production; band already writing faster than ever before.
  • Now headlining shows in US; Europe tours were always headliners, just smaller.
  • Forbes called it one of most important death metal records in history.
  • Record serves as gateway, exposing listeners to extreme metal and progressive influences.
  • Vinyl LP format is their artistic endpoint; last two albums are side-long tracks.
  • Twenty-minute sides provide perfect breathing room for their narrative-driven compositions and riffs.
  • Maxed out Pro Tools voices at Hansa Studios during Absolute Elsewhere recording sessions.
  • First three records recorded live on analog tape; complete takes, minimal punch-ins.
  • Absolute Elsewhere used hybrid approach: drums on tape, then built digitally with Arthur.
  • Recording live on tape creates collective synergy and tension they want captured.
  • Band uses Oblique Strategies cards; asks "what would Trey, Chuck, or Eno do?"
  • Paul designs all layouts; collects test pressings and creates prototype covers himself.
  • Searching for roughly 200 more records; has specific rare pressings in mind.
  • Weakling's Dead as Dreams LP extremely rare; basement flood destroyed most copies.
  • Double album versus double LP distinction: complementary discs versus interrupted single work.
  • Songs start with riffs that suggest where to go; excitable band keeps moving.
  • Timewave Zero was critical palate cleanser enabling more holistic collaborative approach forward.
  • Tangerine Dream collaboration manifested unexpectedly; Thorsten used vintage Edgar Froese Mellotron samples.
  • Future dreams include Brian Eno, Steve Roach; already have secret collaborations lined up.

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Vinyl Guide, the podcast for record collectors and music nerds.

0:10.1

Here's your host, the biggest record nerd of them all, Nate Goyer.

0:13.5

Ah, well, hey, everyone, it's Nate.

0:15.4

Welcome to episode 518 of the Final Guide, the podcast for record collectors and music nerds. And ladies and gentlemen,

0:23.4

this week I am very proud to be sharing a conversation I recently had with Morris and Paul

0:29.8

of Blood Incantation. Now, last week I was in Austin and lucky enough to catch the band live

0:36.3

at Levitation. I've got gotta tell you, that Levitation

0:39.4

festival is amazing. A killer, killer experience all in itself, but more on that whole experience

0:45.7

later. While I was in town, we caught up at the hotel with the band and recorded this

0:51.9

interview in person. Don't get the opportunity to do that too often,

0:55.8

so I was very glad we were able to make that happen. The fellas and their team couldn't have

1:00.2

been friendlier. And we covered a myriad of topics, which you'll hear about today. First off,

1:06.0

it's been a year now, officially a year, since the release of Absolute Elsewhere, which, in my opinion,

1:13.8

and the opinions of many, many others, is an absolutely transformative album. It's most

1:20.6

certainly a game changer of the metal genre and that features so many different styles of

1:24.6

music. They flow beautifully into one another in a truly captivating way

1:29.2

from metal to Prague to soundscapes. The band even collaborate with Thornton of Tangerine Dream

1:35.5

for part of it. And truly, I kid you not, I mean this from the bottom of my heart,

1:41.0

Absolute Elsewhere is an extremely important album. And if you haven't heard it yet,

1:46.6

I suggest you give it a go. Stick with it. Don't judge. It kicks off very heavy. So it's important

1:52.7

that you don't flinch if you're not used to music that heavy. And I'll bet you'll end up listening

1:58.1

to and really enjoying the ride that this album takes you on.

...

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