Kev Rowland When vocalist of over 20 years Dave Hunt announced he needed time away from the band to finish his PhD, the lads decided not to sit back and wait. With Dave’s blessing, they decided to push on without him, and to find the right singer only took one call as they approached Dave Ingram, who had sung in the band for eight years in the Nineties and was replaced by Dave Hunt when he left. Founder members and guitarists Darren Brookes and Peter Rew are of course still there, while they are now joined by the rhythm section from Omicida, bassist Dan Bate and drummer Giovanni Durst.

The result is a death metal album which is somehow strangely commercial, yet solid to the roots. They feel no need to go out and prove they are going to be faster and heavier than anyone else but instead have gone where the music takes them, which in turn means that some of the passages are far more mainstream than one would expect from a band of this genre. The band have settled into a groove, which is interesting given that Ingram recorded 5 albums with the guys during his original tenure, yet for whatever reason the band only recorded 2 with Hunt, and this is actually their first album in 12 years. However, they have gone into it as if they have never been away, and Ingram is locked in with the guitars as one, while bringing in a rhythm section who already know each other has also obviously paid dividends. This is an incredibly easy album to listen to and get inside from the very first notes to the last, and I kept finding myself with a smile on my face as this is just so much damn fun. It crosses into the mainstream more than one would normally expect, but that only gives it an edge which makes it even more enjoyable. Metalheads rejoice, Benediction are back.

UMUR "Scriptures" is the 8th full-length studio album by UK death metal act Benediction. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in October 2020. It´s the successor to "Killing Music" from 2008 and while Benediction did not officially split-up, 12 years between studio albums is arguably a long recording hiatus. Quite a few things have happened in those years though and regarding lineup changes only guitarists Peter Rew and Darren Brookes remain from the lineup who recorded the predecessor. "Scriptures" however sees the return of lead vocalist Dave Ingram who was previously a member of Benediction from 1990 to 1998 and recorded four studio albums with the band. He replaces Dave Hunt who left in 2019 to concentrate fully on his other act Anaal Nathrakh. Bassist Frank Healy has been replaced by Dan Bate and drummer Neil Hutton has been replaced by Giovanni Durst.

Dave Hunt has been a great lead vocalist for Benediction and his contributions to the band´s history should not be belittled in any way. The return of Ingram does however bring a lot of old school death metal credibility and authenticity to this particular Benediction lineup, and he is one of the more distinct sounding death metal vocalists from the early 90s. His performance here is strong and commanding and his growling vocals are as intelligible as ever. So when a vocalist change had to happen, this one is close to being the perfect one.

Stylistically the material on "Scriptures" is through and through the sound of Benediction. Old school death metal which is predominantly heavy and mid-paced but also featuring both faster and slower parts. This could just as well have been released in the early- to mid-90s, if it hadn´t been for the more contemporary sounding production values. The sound production is powerful, raw, and detailed, and suits the material perfectly. The material is well written, for the most part memorable, and in some cases almost instantly catchy too. Ingram´s lyrics and his phrasing are a great asset to the music and one of the reasons for the catchiness of the music. Some of the highlights of "Scriptures" are the opening track "Iterations Of I", "The Crooked Man", and "Stormcrow", but the album keeps up the steam all the way through the playing time. Upon conclusion "Scriptures" is everything you could have asked for in a comeback album from Benediction and I can´t see many fans being disappointed by this album. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.