Only one of the many quality exports from Birmingham, Benediction have been terrorizing our hearing since 1989, even if they’ve only put out three studio albums in the new millennium. Since the band’s trademark growler Dave Ingram rejoined the fold six years ago, they’ve been going from strength to strength on live stages, also releasing the fantastic old school hammer Scriptures in 2020.
Four and a half years later good old Benediction are here to once again split skulls with their ninth full-length Ravage Of Empires, coming out next week via Nuclear Blast. Opener A Carrion Harvest is an epitome of classic, old school death metal with a lot of crunch, a devastating sound, brutal guitars and the towering inimitable vocals of Ingram. The man is a legend in the genre and one of the very few extreme vocalists with an instantly recognizable style. Beyond The Veil Of The Grey Mare is built upon evil riffs straight out of the Leprosy school, while Genesis Chamber is another faster track with a masterclass performance by Dave. There is always a sense for melody and structure in Benediction’s brand of death metal and their ability to change tempos and add groovy transitions is still unmatched.
It’s almost unbelievable but the original guitar duo of Peter Rew and Darren Brookes has never sounded more powerful, these riffs demanding breakneck headbanging song after song. Drummer Giovanni Durst and the “new guy” Nik Sampson (on bass since 2023) are really convincing as well, the spirit of Bolt Thrower permeating bruisers like Deviant Spine or In The Dread Of The Night. Crawling Over Corpses is a total winner with its off-the-hook, playful main riff and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and cleverly chosen as one of the first singles.
I tried really hard to find even one weak spot in Ravage Of Empires and failed miserably. This is the best Benediction album, encapsulating in less than 48 minutes everything we love about these guys. The band has embraced their old school attitude and roots and put their talent on display before a new generation of extreme metalheads who may have never heard The Grand Leveller, Spiritual Healing or Cause Of Death but will surely respect this masterclass in brutality. The masters are here boys and girls, showing how it’s done. Don’t miss this stellar album.
10/10
Ravage Of Empires is out on April 4th and can be ordered from HERE
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