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Music, Reviews

“Seasons Of Tragedy” by Benedictum

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Artist: Benedictum
Title: “Seasons Of Tragedy”
Label: Locomotive Records
Release Date: 3/4/2008
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 4/5

Having enjoyed their debut “Uncreation” so much I was eager to see how San Diego’s Benedictum would do with their sophomore release and I am happy to report that “Seasons Of Tragedy” stands proud on its own and finds the band proving themselves a great Metal force as tune after tune thunders by. The band is led by Veronica Freeman and she is nothing less than impressive. Her vocal style doesn’t follow the day’s trend of being either Operatic, Symphonic or Death Growling but instead seems to bring us back to a more traditional Metal singer who uses elements of each discipline as needed. Either way she can belt them out and comes off as a powerhouse on every song on the album. Musically this one is perhaps even a little stronger than the debut and perhaps this is based on the band growing into one another a little more and feeling much more confident at the task. Of course the first album rocked but with “Seasons Of Tragedy” they have effectively kicked it up a notch and it all begins with a mood-setting instrumental called “Dawn Of Seasons”. The band jumps into gear with “Shell Shock” and this is a really great opening tune since it grabs you by the throat and you can almost feel how the band does this one live since you cant help but find yourself head banging to it. Pete Wells sounds even better on this one with a number of blazing leads and trudging groove-laden riffs and does great work on tracks like “Within The Solace” and “Legacy”. Having found myself enjoying most of the tracks it was a little tricky to decide on a mere two. Completing the lineup we have Jesse Wright on bass and Paul Courtois on drums. A perfect rhythm section for this type of Metal as they hold the bottom end down and occasionally demonstrate enough of the necessary flair to brighten up a track a little more. The band is very in your face and not only finds producer Jeff Pilson once again offering up some bass guitar, but we also find George Lynch (Dokken/Lynch Mob) and Manni Schmidt (Grave Digger) on the tracks “Bare Bones” and “Burn It Out” respectively.
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Reviews, Videos

“Alive And Rockin’” [DVD] by Foreigner

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Artist: Foreigner
Title: “Alive And Rockin’”
Label: Eagle Vision
Release Date: 10/16/2007
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5

It might amaze you to realize this but the band Foreigner has been around for a little over thirty years now and despite numerous lineup changes since their inception they are still rocking hard as is made evident by this DVD filmed during the 2006 “Bang Your Head” festival in Berlingen, Germany. I admit that I never expected to find the band on the same stage as that of Anvil, Helloween and Stratovarius but here they were and as a result there is a lot of great music to enjoy during their set. The Foreigner of 2006 is far from being the band of early historical record outside of journeyman performer and founder Mick Jones, but he has assembled a lineup that is high on talent and experience when it comes down to the business at hand and each member does justice to the music that many of us grew up on or had discovered as they searched through their parents record collections. Kelly Hansen, formerly of Hurricane, is in place of Lou Gramm on vocals and if you have never heard him before you are in for a treat since he has some of the best pipes to this day. He hits all the highs and even outdoes his predecessor in terms of Rock & Roll stage presence when it comes right down to it. Hey, you don’t front an 80’s Metal band and just stand there after all. On bass we have Jeff Pilson, former of Dokken and even a part of Dio’s lineup at one time so you just know that this part of the rhythm section is in good hands. The thunder on the drums is care of none other than the legendary John Bonham’s own son Jason who over the years has really been doing his father’s memory proud by accomplishments and building a stand out reputation of his own as a classy and powerful drummer. The band is rounded out by Jeff Jacobs (keyboards) and Tom Gimbel (saxophone, guitar, and flute) and together they are all able to give Foreigner the big sound that their tunes require in the live sense.
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Music, Reviews

“From Conception: Live 1981” by Dokken

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Artist: Dokken
Title: “From Conception: Live 1981”
Label: Rhino Records
Release Date: 3/13/2007
Genre: Hard Rock/Heavy Metal
Rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the folks at Rhino Records listeners that found their love of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal in the eighties will truly appreciate this one. As the music of “Live 1981 From Conception” by Dokken starts spinning in their CD player they are taken back in a time warp . The hard core Dokken fan will immediately raise their eyebrows knowing that the band would not be signed until a couple of years later and not release a live album until 1988’s “Beast From The East”. These are the facts that make such a release all the more special. In the liner notes by Don Dokken himself he states that as he searched through master tapes for music to be used on an anniversary edition of “Breaking The Chains”, he would come upon reels that simply said “Dokken Live”. These reels would have performances of the band that were recorded before they were signed as the group searched for a record deal, and believe me friends this is one terrific find. The set performed for this concert is loaded with vintage classics from the bands earliest years as well as a number of tracks that that would never actually make it onto the bands catalog of releases. For the most part these songs are a mystery even to the bands most devout supporters. Their presence alone makes the release something that the fans will really enjoy. As they perform, the listener will find a band that is both young, hungry and really showing just how capable they are of the success that will find them not too far in the future.
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Music, Reviews

“Uncreation” by Benedictum

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Artist: Benedictum
Title: “Uncreation”
Label: Locomotive Records
Release Date: 3/14/2006
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 8/10

One seldom thinks of San Diego when it comes to powers of the Metal elite but when you hear the music offered by Benedictum you will know that the area has officially tossed its hat into the mix. Fronted by Veronica Freeman this is a band that is bound to cause quite the stir. Today’s Metal music finds a lot of powerful female lead singers fronting some of the best bands around; Nightwish, After Forever, Lacuna Coil and Arch Enemy all remind us of how much of a compliment to the music a female presence offers. Yet rather than fall into the same model as the above I am happy to report the difference that Benedictum gives the listener, instead of Operatic, Gothic or growls Veronica possesses a veritable Banshees wail. Her powerful lungs make her hold more in common with the likes of Doro, or even Ronnie James Dio himself. It’s a fine contrast to what people have come to expect in the role that normally has been fronting these kinds of bands. The musicians in Benedictum are equally adept with Pete Wells (lead guitar), Blackie Sanchez (drums), Chris Morgan (keyboards) and Jeff Pilson (bass). Wells does some dynamite stuff on the guitar and shows that the band is not merely backing up Ms. Freeman but instead a full unit that is out to break down some walls. Sanchez’s drumming is dead on and while not over technical he pounds it out like thunder through the bands debut. It goes without saying that Pilson is an industry veteran in terms of Melodic Hard Rock from his years of Dokken performance, and this album brings him back to playing a heavier style much like the way he originally started out. He also is the Producer of the album and this shows in the overall quality level of the recording.

I had a number of favorites from the release starting with title track “Benedictum” and “Wicca”, these are true head bangers and are sure to please fans of this type of traditional based Metal. On top of their solid original material there is an added treat in the two covers provided which are Black Sabbath and Dio (the Sabbath song being from the Dio years as well) and I was floored by how close Ms. Freeman gets to the Dio vocal register. The band has a very live sound to them and I am sure this is only the beginning of something cool. Check them out if you can as I recommend this for fans of Doro & Warlock and perhaps older Lita Ford.

Track List:
1. Uncreation
2. Benedictum
3. #4
4. Misogyny
5. Ashes To Ashes
6. Wicca
7. Heaven And Hell
8. Them
9. Two Steps To The Sun
10. Valkyrie Rising
11. The Mob Rules

Official Web site: www.benedictum.net