Benediction
Transcend The Rubicon

THE REVIEW

I start by apologizing for my absence, which no one will have missed and for which no one is likely to demand apologies; but don't forget that I am a Brutal guy, so I do Brutal things, and it's very Brutal to apologize to someone who doesn't need excuses for an absence he didn't even notice.

The story of Benediction begins many years ago, around the early fertile nineties (actually, it begins at the end of the eighties, but their first official records only start circulating in '90) and continues to this day. The story of Benediction starts in Birmingham (and it can be assumed that it didn't start in a luxurious central palace) when a big guy named Mark but who calls himself Barney decides to form a band. This guy is none other than Mark "Barney" Greenway, singer of the fellow citizens Napalm Death: after this 1993 record, he published with Benediction again "The Dreams You Dread," a sort of reissue of the first EP, so (after having had a foot in two shoes for four full years) he will leave the band for the more important band mentioned above. I will diligently avoid any comment and will go directly to the description of the album...

As you may have noticed, the date of this CD is slightly later than that of the genre's Masterpieces and will generate no small perplexity in those who know it; and rightly so since our favorites' Death tinged with Doom is heavily influenced by that unknown band from Wisconsin that goes by the name of Accidental Suicide (not to say that they drew heavily from the "rifframa" of the latter). Benediction, however, have an excuse, which is that Accidental Suicide had disbanded the previous year and, to be honest without wanting to be picky at all costs, the fact of drawing on the American "cousins" does not prevent them, on the contrary, from writing a great page of Death Metal (of the bastard kind!). Despite the Birmingham ensemble insisting a lot on slowdowns, numerous accelerations prevent them from being labeled as a Doom Death Metal band; it's undeniable, however, that shades reminiscent of Incantation are felt in many passages, as they had just two years earlier released their debut "Onward To Golgotha."

The formula from the previous "The Grand Leveller" is almost the same, but overall "Transcend The Rubicon" is richer; rich in special moments, rich in groove and rich in riffs. In addition to the aforementioned bands, we find in this album (obligatorily) references to the rawer and more primitive Death of the early Death and Entombed, in short, all that Death where one can still feel the spirit of Thrash hovering, reeking of beer and mineral oil. The result is twelve songs for almost fifty minutes of duration (a "beast" in Death) of sulfurous but never oppressive atmospheres always measured with our heroes' straightforward and light-hearted attitude. Helping it all is a production measured out by the drop but for this reason not pretentious and, more importantly, able to preserve the essence of a record like this; a horror-like skit of Serial Killer and violence totally nonchalant, pure theatrical fiction.

On the other hand, we know Greenway, and we know that the themes he loves to deal with are socio-political ones and not these trifles... Not for this reason does he not make an effort behind the microphone, on the contrary, he appears absolutely possessed and in shape; his vocalizations have grown since the previous work and now move less awkwardly (only metaphorically, physically he has put on quite a few pounds) between growls of various tones. However, a slightly more agile singer would have benefited the album and helped enliven even the less engaging moments. But that, after all, is up to the guitarists; their performance is quite technical, far removed from the virtuosity of contemporaries like Suffocation or Gorguts but essential from an execution standpoint. Perhaps imagination is not their forte, but if one buys a Benediction record one does not expect to hear who knows what oddities, one expects to hear Death metal played. And nothing else. In this, our guys cannot be criticized, nor can the drummer; the latter perfectly complements his colleagues and manages not to bore, while adhering to the genre's standards. Rare blast beats, much more used are the classic Thrash rhythms in the style of Slayer (just to name one) seasoned with that "quid" of extra power that lets them make the great leap to Death.

"Transcend The Rubicon" can be placed on the same level as "The Grand Leveller"; it might deserve something more, four and a half stars, but since its existence is unequivocally dependent on the aforementioned album, I must round down. But it remains a great Death metal record without too much embellishment and enjoyable even for those who don't listen to this genre at breakfast. Unfortunately, it will be this one that closes Benediction's season, as they will subsequently release some decidedly weak material.

Another nostalgic glance back at the past.