“We’re weird, mystical guys,” says Paul Riedl. “We want to make mystical music for mystical people.” Blood Incantation’s frontman has been talking, along with drummer Isaac Faulk, for the thick end of two hours. It’s a conversation that’s taken in wild visions, LSD and magic mushrooms, the occult, the curious nature of serendipity and coincidence, detailed deconstructions of music and the creative process, and no end of references to other metal and prog bands. At the end of it all, though, it’s this simple remark that so perfectly sums up their universe. The pair and their band do, indeed, make mystical music. Their fourth album, Absolute Elsewhere, was one of 2024’s most astonishing records. Split into two ‘tablets’ named The Stargate and The Message, it is a vast,...