Benedictum
Uncreation

Recently, the debut album of the American band Benedictum has been receiving significant attention in magazines and specialized websites. Curious about the considerable amount of praise lavished by many on this musical effort, I turned to my trusted vendor and borrowed "Uncreation" to determine, after a couple of listens, whether it warranted spending the necessary euros for a purchase. After listening, I can, in all honesty, share a personal consideration: we are faced with the classic example of a band overly publicized by the press. Or perhaps all those who reviewed this album (some calling it a masterpiece outright) were greatly influenced by the physical attributes of singer Veronica "Pamela Anderson" Freeman (and who could blame them, seeing is believing...).

The band plays competently, no doubt about it, the songs flow pleasantly amidst rough walls of guitar and the relentless march of the double bass drum. The main attraction is Freeman's voice, powerful, raspy, far removed from the operetta-like vocals of singers from many gothic metal bands (mind you, it's not a criticism, as some of these bands are among my favorites). Thus, I'm left with the final impression that, without the aforementioned Freeman, Benedictum would be just a regular classic heavy metal band, mainly influenced by the European side of the genre (Judas, the Dio-era Black Sabbath, whose covers of Heaven and Hell and The Mob Rules appear on Uncreation) rather than the American one (early Metallica, Testament, Metal Church). However, they deserve credit for playing a type of metal (the classic kind) that goes against the trend of the time (especially considering what the American scene offers, which is, truthfully, very little). It's no coincidence that, after listening, the only songs I remember are "Misogyny" (truly beautiful) and "Ashes to Ashes".

In conclusion, personally, I will save the money needed to purchase Benedictum's debut work (particularly in this period, which is certainly not one of plenty), but, in any case, I recommend giving it at least a listen, if only to hear Freeman's powerful chirping (for the "rest," visit the official site).