BENEDICTION — The Dreams You Dread (review)

BENEDICTION — The Dreams You Dread album cover Demo · 1989 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
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.
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