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benediction scriptures
Artist: Benediction
Title: Scriptures
Genre: Death Metal
Release Date: 16th October 2020
Label: Nuclear Blast


Album Review

After more than a decade BENEDICTION are back and teamed up with David Ingram, who left the band in 1998 and joined forces with the band again for a new album. “When Daz called me it was totally out of the blue. We chatted for a little while and then he asked me if I’d be interested in a return. As soon as he said it there was NO hesitation, I was IN!!!” recalls Dave Ingram. “It just felt so comfortable, so effortless, so right.” Dave Ingram provided vocals on BENEDICTION’s “classic” early releases like ‘The Grand Leveller’ and ‘Grind Bastard’ as well as on ground-breaking ‘Transcend the Rubicon’, often rated as one of the most influential and important Death Metal releases so far.

After listening through the whole album for the first time, I came to the result that BENEDICTION did neither slow down nor lost the power. Scott Atkins who produced the album managed to emphasize excellent guitarwork, clean vocals and growls and still, if you listen to the songs, you will think it is old-school BENEDICTION. The album kicks off with ‘Iterations Of I’ a straight punch in your face and BENDEICTION make sure you understand, that they did not slow down during the past 12 years and are not ready to give in to any powers that might want to modernize their style.

BENEDCITION push mercilessly forward on this album and ‘Scriptures In Scarlet’ is obviously written to prove that Dave Ingram neither lost his ability to perform excellent clear vocals and some of the heaviest and deepest growls in the genre. BENEDICTION make sure, you won’t see this album as a comeback of the band but as an album that proves they prefer to deliver high quality, excellent songwriting an engineering and don’t give a fuck on the releasing and touring cycles of the music industry. A song that surprised me a bit, for being rather slow for BENEDICTION (meaning midtempo) is ‘The Crooked Man’ and still it’s a break to catch your breath and pay attention to the vocals.

‘Stormcrow ‘is a fast and classic kind of BENEDICTION song. Heavy, many changes in tempo, excellent guitarwork, a groovier part in the middle, so you can catch your breath for a second, to see a straight forward and heavy end. ‘Progenitors Of A New Paradigm’ has a fireworks of riffing and an amazing double-bass part, that might be one of the heaviest thunderstorms on a Death Metal album. Good old dirty BENEDICTION Punk can be found in ‘Rabid Carnality’ as well as in ‘Scriptures In Scarlet’ and reminds you of how the band always found a way to merge different styles with their own Metal attitude and the very up-tempo drums are a perfect way to do so, in these songs.

‘In Our Hands, The Scars’ is the weakest song on the album, it’s quite complex, but the somehow the riffs are not very inspiring and the song as such lacks the quality you got used to, during the first part of the album. ‘Tear Off These Wings’ is the perfect songs for headbangers and will drive crowds wild during a live performance for sure and the best: the diabolical laughter we heard on ‘Subconscious Terror’ is back. Benediction brought back the old groove and that makes it a killer-song. ‘We Are Legion’ is a nearly epic song for a BENEDICTION release, while pushing forward without a break and there are so many layers and elements in the music, that you might to want it listen again, to find out how they did this piece of magic. A perfect song to make you long for more.

BENEDICTION made a solid album for those who love the old school and 90s Death Metal style they keep things quite interesting by using the best elements of their previous releases. You are treated with heavy and energetic riffs, straight forward drums, clean vocals and growls are perfectly underlined by the music and groovier nearly moderate tempo songs give you a few minutes to catch your breath, to start headbanging once again.


Tracklist

01. Iterations Of I
02. Scriptures In Scarlet
03. The Crooked Man
04. Stormcrow
05. Progenitors Of A New Paradigm
06. Rabid Carnality
07. In Our Hands, The Scars
08. Tear Off These Wings
09. Embrace The Kill
10. Neverwhen
11. The Blight At The End
12. We Are Legion


Line-up

Darren Brookes – Guitar
Peter Rew – Guitar
Dave Ingram – Vocals
Dan Bate – Bass
Giovanni Durst – Drums


Website

www.facebook.com/Benedictionband


Cover Picture

benediction scriptures


Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10




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