Benediction
The Grand Leveller

One day I might find myself in the company of some innocent little rugrat, perhaps the child of a family friend or something like that; probably, instead of making them play with toy soldiers or telling them a story, I would start telling them about my latest musical discoveries (after all, that's the only thing I talk about and I always bring it up even when it's irrelevant). At that point, the child might ask me, "But excuse me, what is Death metal?" (as mentioned before, that's the only thing I listen to); at that point, I would pull out a copy of "The Grand Leveller" that I always carry with me for such occasions, and happily hand it to the child, creating an insurmountable conflict between the two families that were once so close.

Joking aside, I hope this "profound" allegory has conveyed the significance of the work I'm about to review and has somewhat softened the spirits of the always hostile Death review readers (yes, a captatio benevolentiae, precisely). Benediction are, so to speak, the "cousins" of Napalm Death; they come from the same city, Birmingham, and have had common members with them (the first vocalist of Benediction, Mark "Barney" Greenway, was later the vocalist of Napalm Death).
Their importance, though uncelebrated, is undeniably significant in my opinion: indeed, they have managed to capture a certain musical taste of that period (not coincidentally the album is dated 1991) as only a few others have been able to do.

Beyond this significant merit, Benediction have always made good music even in their subsequent releases, although "The Grand Leveller" perhaps represents the pinnacle never reached by this band. As already mentioned, it is Death metal without any compromise, still heavily influenced by the more violent Thrash and perfectly in line with the standards of the early nineties (the only albums somewhat outside the box in this context are "Human" by Death and "Effigy Of The Forgotten" by Suffocation): the sound is therefore very violent and aggressive but often indulges in murkier and heavier parts. The instrumental performance is essential even if it does not excel in originality or technicality (compared to the two masterpieces I mentioned earlier, it is definitely inferior); in any case, you can hear people playing well and with passion.
The drummer, although a bit static, varies the tempos a lot (note the almost absence of blast beats) between faster parts and deadly slowdowns (in my opinion, the best parts): this variation prevents boredom and gives the impression of a well-thought-out compositional phase, not to mention that in this way the drummer manages to showcase his not mediocre skills. The same goes for the guitarists, whose work, considering the times, is much more original. The riffing is indeed excellent and full of ideas; besides the classic Thrash school riffs and solos (obviously exaggerated and heavier) there are indeed twin parts that are the archetypes of the future developments of the genre.

The bass lines are excellent, always audible and intriguing, thanks to a production (typical of that period) that is dirty yet capable of highlighting the power of all the instruments. The vocals are good, although slightly monotonous: they are indeed positioned on a fairly low growl whose range is not the best. But when faced with such well-crafted and active compositions, one can overlook this; they do not have great ambitions to evoke an important mood and are content to drag the listener into the genuine soundscape of "The Grand Leveller".

History didn't give them the proper recognition, but certainly, the value of this album is high, especially for its immediacy and what it represents: the manifesto of escapist Death metal that has the sole purpose of shattering eardrums (with class, however).