Artist: Benediction
Country: United Kingdom
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Format: LP / CD
Year: 2025
Although Death Metal hall-of-famers Benediction lost their grinding edges from the first two albums and along the way got increasingly groove-based, overall, they haven’t changed a whole lot. The upside of that knowledge is that every time the band hits with a new record you are in for a treat, given that you love it. But, the clear disadvantage is that the band needs to come with extraordinary good riffs and hooks to lift the album out of the “just good”-fields. ‘Scriptures’ from 2020 was one such album, not only did the band sound much fresher than they did on the preceding ‘Killing Music’ from 2008, the return of iconic vocalist Dave Ingram was a smart move to get some old fans back on board.
Five years later Benediction returns with ‘Ravage Of Empires’, the band’s ninth full-length album, and, frankly, quite a bit of that previous enthusiasm faded. Drilling things down to the nitty-gritty it is clear that nothing on this newest feat is far-fetched, in fact, this is just Benediction like no other. All the trademark and signature ingredients are there: the rolling drums, the crunchy and grooving riffs and Ingram’s signature roar. Everything is right in place for another banger of old style Death Metal…
Yet, ‘Ravage Of Empires’ isn’t nearly as good as ‘Scriptures’. While all of the necessary elements are all set and essentially put in the right places, this newest set of songs just don’t seem to have “it”. Call it the “X Factor” or whatever you like, it is hard to deny that it all sounds a bit labored, forced even maybe. Of course, the surprise of Ingram’s return is gone, so now the music has to do it all by itself and it is clear that the band just falls short on doing so.
Let me set things straight, ‘Ravage Of Empires’ isn’t a disposable album and none of the tracks are really bad either. It just lacks that bit of a spark to make the album shine and turn it into a classic or even top album in the Benediction back catalogue. In a way this latest offering feels a bit like the albums that were released after ‘Transcend The Rubicon’ (1993). Not so much on a musical level, but even more so when it comes to the overall feeling. Just like ‘The Dreams You Dread’ (1995) and ‘Grind Bastard’ (1998), ‘Ravage Of Empires’ just lacks a certain sense of urgency. I hope I am wrong, but it feels like it was a contractual obligation, like Nuclear Blast was knocking on the door waiting for the new album to be finished.
Still, if you like those “lesser” albums in Benediction’s back catalogue as much as their absolute Death Metal classics, ‘Ravage Of Empires’ is a safe buy that won’t disappoint. To be frank, I wasn’t disappointed either. Benediction just delivers a solid Death Metal record, like they always do – it’s just that every now and then there is an exceptionally good record, but ‘Ravage Of Empires’ simply is not one of them. The fire and passion might be lacking a bit, it is still Benediction, which justifies giving it your attention.
