Benediction

Benediction was formed in 1989. Almost immediately after forming, the band attacked with a demo, The Dreams You Dread, thanks to which they appeared on the radar of Nuclear Blast – a label under which they release till this day. In 1990, the Brits doubled down, releasing a split album with Pungent Stench and a full-length debut, Subconscious Terror. This raging and raw scrap of death metal is the only big release featuring the growling of Barney Greenway, who’s mostly known for his tenure with Napalm Death. With Dave Ingram having taken over the mic, the band released The Grand Leveller in 1991, and two years later, Transcend the Rubicon, considered today to be their magnum opus. The last two Benediction albums released in the 90s as well as the 2001 Organised Chaos didn’t arouse as much interest as the predecessors. A return to form came in 2008 with Killing Music. After its release, the band went on a 12-year-long hiatus and only came back with the follow-up record, Scriptures, in 2020. The Birmingham band’s latest record is Ravage of Empires.