Benediction – Ravage of Empires Review

After half a decade, the British Old-School Death Metal group Benediction are set to release their 9th full-length record titled “Ravage of Empires”, with thematic values and art design similar to the previous “comeback” album “Scriptures”.

This highly anticipated release features a new bassist Nik Sampson, since the previous band member Dan Bate had to step down due to family commitment, as stated by the band 3 years ago. This LP wastes no time getting to business, launching into a barrage of relentless riffing, hammering drum work, and, of course, the devilish voice of Dave Ingram. At 56, Ingram sounds quite literally as he were to re-record “Transcend the Rubicon“, his deep growls remain as vicious as they were when he was in his 20’s, cutting through the old-school riffs with remarkable force. If anything, his performance here reaffirms why he remains one of the most enduring voices in old-school death metal, and why he remains praised over the years.

I am a fan of the “thick” sounding guitars. They fit in perfectly with the music and the overall style. The production on “Ravage of Empires” does a fantastic job of bringing that signature Benediction heft to life. The guitars, drenched in that thick, churning tone, feel massive, providing the perfect backbone for the band’s signature mid-tempo stomp. Let’s take a moment to appreciate how revitalized founding guitarists Darren Brookes and Peter Rew sound on this record. It’s like they’ve tapped back into that raw, old-school energy, churning out riffs that absolutely reek of death and decay, but still remain energized despite looking at their age.

Side B of this full-length is easily my favorite, with the back-to-back demolition of “Crawling Over Corpses” and “In the Dread of the Night.” Both tracks lean heavily into slow-tempo grooves, delivering a crushing, almost hypnotic weight that lingers even after the tracks end. The rest of Side B continues this trend, with “Psychosister” bringing in a darker, more haunting edge, while the self-titled closer “Ravage of Empires” ends the album on a groove-oriented note, almost hinting the listeners to mosh once more before the album’s 47-minute runtime comes to an end.

Overall the result of this 11 track death metal album is quite good, “Ravage of Empires” brings a good musical punch, it’s energetic, enjoyable and even though half the lineup has already changed, the spirit, and the way of doing things is still alive, which remains the key to their killer releases in this past decade.

Benediction “Ravage of Empires” releases April 4th via Nuclear Blast.

Track Listing:

1. A Carrion Harvest
2. Beyond the Veil of the Grey Mare
3. Genesis Chamber
4. Deviant Spine
5. Engines of War
6. The Finality of Perpetuation
7. Crawling over Corpses
8. In the Dread of the Night
9. Drought of Mercy
10. Psychosister
11. Ravage of Empires

Watch “Engines of War” official music video here: