Benediction‘s remarkable comeback with the 2020 album “Scriptures” defined how heavy and organic the band has become; “Ravage of Empires” is no different. The songs on the album are crushing and relentlessly sinister the guitar tone sounds massive and incredibly heavy. Dane Ingram‘s trademark barks validate his vocal performance alongside Karl Willets and Barney Greenway. The level of aggression is well-measured with plenty of grooves that stimulate a feeling of anger on the opening salvo “A Carrion Harvest” offers plenty of death thrash riffs, powerful bass lines, and hammering drum beats.

Rhythm guitar enhances the menacing atmosphere of “Beyond the Veil of Grey Mare”. Benediction shows its virtuosos to unleash death metal fury and deliver a gritty attitude of its classic aggression. There is no particular highlight as each track is a straightforward onslaught, the drums don’t rely on blast beats, but instead, there are lots of grooves and the solid drumming underlines the riffs perfectly.

The riffs bash you in the face and this album is full of memorable songs, there is a right balance between grooves, and brutality, and spiced up with powerful drumming. From the fast-paced and up-tempo pace, the drums are violent and display tremendous aggression and riffing creating an energetic formula like the infectious grooves on “Genesis Chamber” and “Deviant Spine” are immensely catchy.

The outstanding precision of the drums grooving with the brutal riffs on “Engines of War” demonstrates the robustness of the individual skills and the band as a whole. The main riff is monstrous with intense head-banging sections and crushing mid-tempos.

The heavy tone of the rumbling bass guitar and sheer heaviness dominate while the monolithic grooving adds another unique element to the music, every song conveys scenes from a bloody battlefield. Those who are familiar with the band’s classic albums like “The Grand Leveller” and “The Dreams You Dread” will find themselves head-banging to the combination of aggressive riffs and the elements of thrash, punk, and crust that are subtly injected into the songs.

The musicianship is tight and energetic Benediction maintains its riffing method without sounding stale and drumming delivers an array of fast kick pedals, batters your skull with powerful drum fills, and remains persistent throughout the album. Benediction does not reconcile its old-school standards, therefore the songs pack some intense riffing, it was clear that the quintet of Dave Ingram, guitarists Peter Rew and Darren Brookes, bassist Nik Sampson, and drummer Giovanni Durst opted for something monstrous and brutal that surpasses the previous album.

The bombardment of heavy-hitting riffs stands out on “Crawling over Corpses” which churns out some heavy chunky riffs that will tear you apart the level of quality that Benediction brings on the ninth album is staggering. When it comes to a record as groovy and crushing as this you’ll know that the band hasn’t compromised its classic 90s sound and blended it with unbridled rawness and the up-tempo aggression that renders ultra-brutality, bouncing riffs, and lead guitar hooks.

“In the Dread of the Night” is blisteringly fast, and the rhythm guitars channel old-school thrash into brutal death metal and exploit them superbly. The veterans achieve superiority through a pummeling force and grit, the solos are perfectly captured on this track that is backed by dynamics. “Drought of Mercy”, “Psychosister” and “Ravage of Empires” foray into hyper-speed drumming and grooving mid-section tempos bolster the quality of these songs.

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