UMUR "The Dreams You Dread" is the first demo recording by UK, Birmingham based death metal act Benediction. The demo was independently released in 1989. Benediction formed earlier that same year and "The Dreams You Dread" was their sole demo release before being signed by Nuclear Blast Records for the release of their 1990 debut full-length studio album "Subconscious Terror".

The demo features four tracks and a total playing time of 14:23 minutes. Three ouf of the four tracks would be re-recorded and included on "Subconscious Terror". Only "Bonesaw" is exclusive to this release. Well...that´s actually not entirely true as it was renamed "Grizzled Finale" and also re-recorded and included on "Subconscious Terror".

Stylistically Benediction had already found the relatively simple, raw, and brutal death metal style they would also pursue on the subsequent studio album releases. So they didn´t start out being grindcore or hardcore influenced like contemporaries such as Napalm Death, Carcass, and Bolt Thrower. Not other than the usual old school hardcore punk influenced drumming style which occurs once in a while.

The sound production is murky, raw, and lo-fi in style, but it´s one of those old school death metal demos where it doesn´t matter that much. It may even add to the authenticity and brutal nature of the demo. It´s of course one of the few recordings Mark "Barney" Greenway did with Benediction before he left to join Napalm Death, but it still needs to be mentioned how brutal a growler he was in his early days. For a 1989 release this is a very brutal growling vocal performance. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

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.

UMUR "Killing Music" is the 7th full-length studio album by UK death metal act Benediction. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in August 2008. It´s been 7 years since the release of "Organised Chaos (2001)", but Benediction have toured quite a lot in the intermediate period and especially lead vocalist Dave Hunt has also been very busy with his other project Anaal Nathrakh. The lineup haven´t changed since "Organised Chaos (2001)" and this is now Dave Hunt´s second album with Benediction after he replaced Dave Ingram.

Stylistically "Killing Music" more or less continues the old school death metal style of "Organised Chaos (2001)". It´s a more gritty and raw release than it´s predecessor though and Dave Hunt seems to have come into his own compared to his strong yet a bit anonymous vocal performance on "Organised Chaos (2001)". He sounds pissed off and very aggressive on "Killing Music", which adds a lot to Benediction´s sound. The raw and gritty sound production further enhances the feeling that this is a pretty dark and aggressive release by Benediction.

Featuring 12 tracks and a full playing time of 38:13 minutes, "Killing Music" features a suitable length for this type of music. The material are generally of good quality and the entertainment level high for most of the playing time, but ultimately there aren´t enough variation. When that is said "Killing Music" is still a high quality release by Benediction, and probably their most interesting release since the early nineties. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Vim Fuego Spooky introductions are crap. Unfortunately, many metal bands have tried them over the years, like Benediction did here. It seems like back–masked vocals over atmospheric noises are supposed to be scary. The noises weren't very effective, even in 1990.

Luckily, things improve. Kicking off the title track with a rumbling bass drone, Benediction proved very quickly they do things a little differently to the average death metal band. For one thing, they show an excellent understanding of dynamics. While most bands were trying to go faster/heavier/more brutal, Benediction were one of the first to reign in the speed and add thunderous mid–paced passages to songs. Slowing down the tempo ups the effectiveness of the drumming. Ian Treacy is of the school of "who gives a shit if it's out of time, as long as it's heavy" drumming, but he really grabs your attention here, with the drums well up in the mix. The bass drum is particularly solid, like dropping bricks on your head.

There's a kind of famous guy doing vocals on this album. Barney Greenway growls his way through the album, in atypical death metal style. It is easy to see why Napalm Death grabbed him permanently after this album. His hardcore approach to death metal vocals made the lyrics easily decipherable, where most death grunts would have rendered them unlistenable. Barney's political awareness surfaced on the track "Divine Ultimatum", making a refreshing break from the satanic and/or gore riddled fare most bands peddled. Elsewhere on the album, there are good doses of blood and guts and Beelzebub, but there are also tales of psychosis and nightmare induced insanity.

To be brutally honest, this album does sound dated, but as a period piece, it is an excellent example of a band already looking to the future direction of death metal. This is also on blood and gore splattered vinyl, which is a nice visual touch.