Well, I have to say it’s been a while since I listened to Benediction! BENEDICTION – Ravage of Empires is the new release from the long running English Death Metal band. It’s great to see them still going I have to say. This release was only a few days old at the time of reviewing this this, but it made me smile. Benediction sound like Benediction always have but this is better than I remember them sounding. They’ve successfully managed to take their old sound and improve most aspects like the recording and even the musicianship (Not that they were slouches before) but this is a very precise sounding album. Everything comes through perfectly. As with most death metal bands if you like one song you’ll like the lot of them. Every track on this is brutally executed and immensely listenable. The Vocalist Dave Ingram is in fine form. I’d heard him before (and liked him) in Benediction but that was a long time ago, and he’s improved out of sight in the many years since I’ve given Benediction any air time at my house.
Overall, the album is a pummelling journey into death metal. The songs are varied and the musicianship is killer. This is the kind of musical beatdown that only an older more experienced band can deliver. Benediction have been around a for a long time and it shows in their song writing sensibilities. They’ve really done themselves proud and managed to move an old school style of death metal forward into the 2020’s without compromising their sound. No mean feat!
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