Benedictum Interview


When I first heard about the band Benedictum, it was through the band A Sound of Thunder, when Veronica Freeman, Benedictum’s vocalist, guested on A Sound of Thunder’s alternate version of their song “Queen of Hell”. The two ladies sounded so great together; they were just such a force to be reckoned with. I finally got the chance to hear more of Benedictum’s music when it came time to review their latest album, Obey, and I was not disappointed. So when I got the opportunity to interview Veronica to accompany the album review, I thought it would be the perfect chance to not only find out a little about how she first started collaborating with A Sound of Thunder, but also to learn more about the band’s music and their history. I not only learned all that, but I also discovered that Veronica is one hell of a cool chick; very easy to talk to and not at all shy about expressing her opinions. In fact, she was so cool that not only did she take time to talk to me about the album, but she even put me in touch with guest vocalist Tony Martin so that he could tell his side of the story about how he hooked up with Benedictum for their collaboration on “Cry”. I can’t say I’ve ever had any other bands do that, but it goes to show what an awesome person Veronica is. So both she and Tony are here to talk a little about the new album and their musical merger. From her thoughts on the current femme-metal scene in the U.S. to her enthusiasm about the new Benedictum album, Veronica keeps it real and keeps it metal!

Rainover Interview
December 14, 2013 (via Skype)

Given the insane number of albums that sail across Sonic Cathedral’s desk every year, and the divergent taste of our writers, it is worth taking note when a debut album makes the Top 10 list for multiple staffers. Rainover, a gothic metal band from Murcia, Spain, was the dark horse for 2013! So, what made Rainover stand-out from a field of hundreds of worthwhile albums? There is the variety for one thing -- flavors of symphonic metal, doomy parts, a couple of up-tempo numbers, clean male vocals that are reminiscent of Depeche Mode, and a sprinkling of male grunting. The lyrics are another thing. But really, what seals the deal is the extraordinary voice of Andrea Casanova.