Benediction
Grind Bastard
Nuclear Blast
“I swear to God I’m an atheist!” screams vocalist Dave Ingram on “Deadfall.” An excellent start! As those who know their metal history, Benediction is one of the many bands from which the occasional British death metaler sprang from, most notably Barney from Napalm Death. Quickly, I’ll just say that the music is masterful. Though the title says “grind,” Benediction have laid a lot of speed metal, more along the lines of old Metallica, into the music, so don’t be put off if you’re thinking this is for those with “extreme” tastes.
The important thing is that they’ve given some really interesting info about the songs, which quite impressed me since I’ve read a few of the stories upon which they’re based. Most amazingly is their song “Carcinoma Angel.” About two years ago, I purchased from a street vendor a 1967 s-f collection, edited by Harlan Ellison, called Dangerous Visions. It contains the Norman Spinrad story “Carcinoma Angels” that’s about a wealthy man who comes down with cancer. In order to fight the disease (which he does, with success, but at a price) he takes lots of drugs and journeys inside his body only to find that the cancer cells are actually biker gangs, the “Carcinoma Angels… “ Man, to put that to song is damn impressive. Even without that song, Grind Bastard is a great album, mind you. Oh, there’s also songs inspired by Clifford Simak and Julian May. Check it out! Nuclear Blast America, P.O. Box 43618, Philadelphia, PA 19106; http://www.nuclearblast-usa.com
