November 30, 2024 at Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON
Photos/Words: Taita Nunes
Inertia Entertainment
Blood Incantation at Lee’s Palace, Toronto, Ontario: A Cosmic Ritual
Blood Incantation descended upon Toronto’s Lee’s Palace like an interstellar entity on a mission to meld cosmic mysticism with brutal death metal. With an intimate venue packed shoulder-to-shoulder, the atmosphere was electric, a swirling vortex of eager fans waiting to be transported into the unknown. They played their entire most recent album Absolute Elsewhere. Blood Incantation is not your typical Death Metal band. They are very psychedelic and you are almost hypnotized at their live performance and taken into space.
The band launched their set with “The Stargate [Tablet I],” immediately setting the tone for an otherworldly evening. As the opening riff roared to life, a kaleidoscope of lights filled the room, enhancing the song’s sprawling, cosmic narrative. Paul Riedl’s growls felt like a transmission from the depths of the void, while the tight, dynamic drumming anchored the ethereal guitar melodies.
The transitions between “The Stargate [Tablet II]” and “The Stargate [Tablet III]” were seamless, creating an immersive experience that blurred the lines between each movement. The crowd stood entranced, heads nodding to the hypnotic tempo shifts and spacey interludes. Blood Incantation’s command of tension and release was on full display, taking us on a sonic voyage through the galaxies.
The middle section of the set, featuring “The Message [Tablet I-III],” felt like a direct communique from the stars. These tracks, with their intricate arrangements and ambient undertones, highlighted the band’s unparalleled ability to balance technical precision with atmospheric depth. As each note reverberated through Lee’s Palace, it became clear that this wasn’t just a concert—it was a ritual.
Perhaps the most captivating moment of the night was “Inner Paths (to Outer Space),” where the band stripped things back to let the ambient layers breathe. The crowd swayed as haunting synths and clean guitar tones enveloped the room, a brief but necessary reprieve before the night’s climactic finish.
After a short break, Blood Incantation returned for an encore, and the audience erupted. The extended ambient intro to “Obliquity of the Ecliptic” featured a surreal gong performance that resonated through every bone in the body. When the band kicked into the main riff, the room exploded. This finale was an amalgamation of their musical ethos: heavy, cosmic, and transcendent.
As the last note faded and the lights came up, the crowd was left awestruck. Blood Incantation delivered a performance that transcended the traditional death metal framework, blending their otherworldly themes with raw, human intensity. Fans spilled out into the Toronto night, dazed and exhilarated, as though they’d just been thrust back to Earth after a journey to the stars.
For those lucky enough to be there, this was a cosmic trip that will linger in the mind like a message from another dimension. Blood Incantation proved, once again, that they are not of this Earth.
Setlist:
The Stargate [Tablet I]
The Stargate [Tablet II]
The Stargate [Tablet III]
The Message [Tablet I]
The Message [Tablet II]
The Message [Tablet III]
Inner Paths (to Outer Space)
Encore:
Obliquity of the Ecliptic
(Extended ambient intro with a gong)
