CD Info
2011
Self Released / Sweden
13 Tracks
English Lyrics

You tend to get some interesting ideas in Gothic Metal, a little more interesting than the "I sure do love ya, honey" stuff we tend to get in most of the rest of the music world, with the exception of rap, of course, although calling that music is a stretch beyond my typical abilities. However, religion is not one of the topics generally addressed although that rule is not an absolute. Benevolence, however, has taken on the topic full blast with one of the most musically beautiful and topically interesting productions I’ve yet to hear. And, their judgment on the subject is not a positive one. I got some information from one of the musicians and he talked about the initial direction of the music, "I love Metal and classical music and of course some other stuff as well. The idea of this mixture came from an Opera musical called, ‘Which Witch’ by Benedicte Adrian & Ingrid Björnov. I grew up listening to bands like Kreator, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd, Slayer, AC/DC and many more and lots of classical music, Mozart is a big musical inspiration. Another musician I love is Loreena McKennitt." So that provides some framework for the music, which is LARGE. We’re not talking two guitars, a drum and a singer here. This is the full Monte, we’re in Therion territory with this work. The basic participants are professional opera singers: two sopranos, matzo soprano and alto, a bass player and another playing the other guitars. The orchestral instruments are virtual sample software from EWQL. Beyond that, there is a full 26 person choir, and there is nothing to compare with a professional choir IMO. And this one is superb. The music is largely written in house, however, several of the songs are based on work by other bands: Iron Maiden’s "the Number of the Beast" and "Hallowed be Thy Name" and Kreator’s timeless "Flag of Hate". They’re not direct translations of those works, however, and provide an interesting musical interpretation. One that fits into the statement Benevolence is trying to make with this work.

The music is largely classical, what else are you going to get with a couple formal opera sopranos, a choir and the electronically developed orchestration. But the guitar work does come through; you know you’re listening to metal. There is that pounding, crashing sound, especially on the Iron Maiden tunes, I mean, it’s hard to make Iron Maiden sound exactly like Mozart, even though he was the rocker of his day. But this music will appeal to those who appreciate the classically oriented Gothic metal of Western Europe, and especially from the Scandinavian countries of the North. You also get some really interesting keyboard effects, especially on songs like He is Evil. There’s an interesting introduction to the work, with some interesting graphics, available on YouTube here that provides a pretty good introduction to most of the music on the CD. You either like this approach or you don’t, personally, I find it hard not to like it, although the lyrics can be a little difficult to comprehend, they were done in Sweden after all. But, we’ll take a closer look at those lyrics shortly; they’re an important part of the music.

God is clearly a topical production, one addressed in a classical format. But the message is clear, and it takes on the concept of organized religion with a fury. Being a practicing Pagan, I have my thoughts on religion; I’ve obviously turned my back on the concept of traditional Christianity, although I wouldn’t say I reject all religion. I’m not sure this work does either, but it certainly spends significant time reflecting on the negative components of the concept, especially the more traditional religions, Christianity, Judaism, and the Muslim religions. And, when one looks at what has transpired with those religions over the centuries that’s not a hard position to support. The beauty of the Pagan religions is that they are willing to acknowledge the positive components of every religion, which, of course, is totally against the basic tenants of each of those major religions. The work here looks at some of the more obvious flaws of organized religions, and does it in a way that makes the argument worth listening to from a musical perspective, whether you agree with the argument or not. We get off to a rousing start in this condemnation with Lovely Death. The guitars introduce us to the music but the rest of the sound isn’t long in appearing, we get the orchestration, the opera vocals, the choral work, everything this sound has to offer. And, we get an introduction to the message:

The music then moves to the Iron Maiden titles and many of us will be familiar with these titles. The sound is a classical interpretation of those standards, generally a limited cover, especially in terms of The Number of the Beast. Hallowed Be Thy Name is a more complete interpretation, running for some 10 minutes. And believe me, Iron Maiden never sounded so good.

We return to the more focused Benevolence message in Godevil. And again, the message rages against the morals of traditional religion. The music has a metal base, but the classical components drive the sound. The opera vocals lend a heavenly direction while the choral work provides emphasis. This is beautiful music but music that condemns, music that rages and argues for a logical interpretation. And that direction continues over the next several titles, sometimes harder, sometimes a little softer. Blasphemy reminds us that it’s not just Christianity that has led us astray:

Interestingly enough, there are some positive directions in the music, especially for us Pagans. Mother Earth talks about things from a more logical direction. Again, the sound is classical, a full use of the opera vocal supported by the choral work. And we get some of the best soprano work on the CD here, along with some of the best sample based symphonic. All supported by some driving guitar. But the message goes in another direction:

Slavery They Embrace is another epic production, again, the full musical delivery supporting a message of condemnation. We pretty much get the full musical arsenal, a classical production that would make 17th Century Germans stand up and listen, even if they didn’t go along with the message. Benevolence seems to appreciate the Wagnerian approach to music and nowhere is it more in evidence than on this title. Pure music from the Valkyries. And, again, the message condemns:

The final selection is Satisfy God and it differs from the previous selections in that it actually begins with a harsh male vocal, one that approximates a heavenly pronouncement, an angry vocal from on high:

Well, not everyone will appreciate this music; certainly not everyone will appreciate the message. But, a lot of us will. It may not sell in the Bible Belt in the US but then most of these people think Global Warming is a liberal hoax to make Al Gore rich and Evolution is a plot to destroy Christianity. Maybe they ought to give it a listen and consider a more logical approach to reality. Either way, its damn fine music, you have to appreciate the musical quality and the effort that went into producing it. And that’s enough for me to give it a 11, so help me God.

10 / 10

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