Benedictum - Dominion

Heavy Metal
Frontiers

2011

1. Dominion

2. At The Gates
3. Seer
4. Grind It
5. Prodigal Son
6. The Shadowlands
7. Beautiful Pain
8. Dark Heart
9. Bang
10. Loud Silence
11. Epsilon
12. Sanctuary (Bonus Track)
13. Overture/The Temples of Syrinx (Bonus Track)

Dominion marks Benedictum's third release and so far I've liked what I've heard by this band. Up to this point they haven't quite made one of those standout of the year sort of albums, but their sound has been solid with a nice straight forward heavy metal vibe. Unlike a lot of female fronted acts, Benedictum doesn't really sound atmospheric or really very feminine. Vocalist Veronica Freeman really is more of a gruff rocker than a soaring female operatic or anything of the like.

On this album Benedictum come back with much of the same. This is straight ahead, thick sounding, and no frills metal. I've got to say though that the songs are starting to sound the same for me. Not just on this album, but across the albums. It's becoming apparent that the band is getting a stagnant and I can't seem to get into this album. Dominion seems familiar, safe, and lacking in real stand outs. The sound is still good, but the hooks and standouts aren't really there.

In theory, I should like this. Strong female singer with some force, good guitar sound... but there's definitely something missing here. If you like their other stuff you might want to give Dominion a try, but I think their previous two albums would be better intros for newcomers to the band. I think it would be advisable to try to mix up their sound a bit on their next album. The songs are just getting kind of plodding and mixing together.

Highlights: At The Gates, Grind It

Rating - 2.5/5

Benedictum - Seasons Of Tragedy

Heavy/Groove Metal
Locomotive

2008

1. Dawn of Seasons (Intro)
2. Shell Shock
3. Burn it Out
4. Bare Bones
5. Within the Solace
6. Beast in the Field
7. Legacy
8. Nobodies Victim
9. Balls to the Wall
10. Steel Rain
11. Seasons of Tragedy

Benedictum were a pleasant surprise out of nowhere back in '06 when I reviewed their debut and now I'm pleased to have gotten a hold of their sophomore release Seasons Of Tragedy. New blood in the metal scene is always exciting... leaving one wondering who will be the next band to climb to recognition in the metal scene.

Seasons Of Tragedy sounds a little more polished to me than the last, but basically follows the same trend of a mix of up tempo and groove stuff with shouted, forceful female vocals that give the band a nice vibe of heaviness and attitude. One thing Benedictum has is nice heavy and not cliched or over the top sound that could potentially be more appealing than happy power metal or hail satan black mail to the average music listener. This sort of energized heavy rock sound has a sort of universal appeal if anyone ever decides to give them a chance in a more commercial market. Unlikely, but ya never know.

I do have a couple nitpicks about this album that I've gotta get out there on the negative side. One would be that some tracks just seem to miss and/or drag on well past their stay. An example of both would be Bare Bones with it's notably 'bare bones' riffs which chug their way along to boredom while the vocals make me wish I never hear the words bare bones ever again they're repeated so many times. That song overstays it's welcome big time and speaking of that I just have to mention the other length nitpick which is the title track. Not a bad song in and of itself for the first half or so, it just starts to drag and there is absolutely no reason it had to take up over 11 minutes. Benedictum are not the sort of band I picture as needing long, epic tracks. This is not fantasy power metal folks.

On the plus side is the sheer rip your head off, pounding heaviness of Beast In The Field which is a massive sounding headbanger. If anyone is reading... more of this please. The band seems to be at their best when they don't get bogged down in groove and instead rip ahead all cylinders firing and this and Shell Shock are fine examples which mark the highlights.

In conclusion, Seasons Of Tragedy is a pretty decent follow up with a couple spots of boredom that drag down the end result a bit. I'd still say this is worth a listen, if slightly down in overall quality from the debut. The highlights of the album kinda balance that out and once again the cover done here, Balls To The Wall, would make the original band proud... much like they did before with Black Sabbath.

Highlights: Beast In The Field, Shellshock

Rating - 3.0/5

Benedictum - Uncreation

Heavy/Groove Metal
Locomotive
2005

1. Uncreation
2. Benedictum
3. #4
4. Misogyny
5. Ashes to Ashes
6. Wicca
7. Heaven and Hell
8. Them
9. Two Steps to the Sun
10. Valkyrie Rising
11. The Mob Rules

Uncreation marks the debut release from this heavy as all hell, female fronted metal act and it truely is a ballsy one. The first thing that struck me about this band is the heavy, dirty guitar sound and the somewhat rough, shouting voice of the frontwoman. Definetely not your average atmospheric sort of female band, I'll tell you that much.

The word to sum up this release would be attitude. The whole album just seeps heaviness with a low and punishing guitar sound and semi-modern approach that reminds me of acts such as Pantera and HavocHate. Vocally, I'm reminded a lot of Kate French, current vocalist of Chastain and there are some musical reminders of that band's more recent output as well. Ann Boleyn of Hellion also comes to mind. This album is just full of heavy grooves and some damn catchy moments. Just the sort of stuff you can imagine hearing in a dirty biker bar or something. Also worth noting is the fact this band takes a somewhat unusual step by covering two songs by the same band on their debut album. Interesting fanboy or fangirl move by someone there but to their credit they carry the songs Extremely well. Their cover of Heaven & Hell sounds fantastic with their beefed up guitar sound and the vocalist is a perfect fit for Dio's voice. Heaven & Hell is one of the big highlights of this album actually since it's done so fucking well, but their material stands just fine on it's own. Songs like Wicca are a damn good blend of modern heaviness and old school metal.

To sum it up, this is a damn fine band with a promising debut. If you like the acts mentioned and this sludgy/heavy sort of attitude driven metal than I think you should like em.

Highlights: Wicca, Valkyrie Rising, Heaven & Hell

Rating - 3.5/5