Get ready for the grand return of Benighted.
Recognized among their peers as the epitome of French-made violence, the band led by Julien Truchan (vocals, Néfastes), Emmanuel Dalle (guitar), Pierre Arnoux (bass) and Kevin Paradis (drums, Aronious, Mithridatic, ex-Agressor, ex-Svart Crown) unveil their tenth album, Ekbom, on Season of Mist in 2024, once again illustrated by Róbert « Grindesign » Borbás (The Last of Lucy, AngelMaker, Bonecarver… ).
The band treat themselves to a moment of anguish with Prodome, a mysterious intro in which murmurs and keyboards cohabit before the arrival of strikes and then screams that set the stage for Scars, a first composition that is first majestic and then devastating. A few touches of tapping give the guitar some melodious moments, but violence really dominates this track, which nonetheless allows us a moment’s respite with its sinister break, then the band returns to Old School tones with Morgue, not without reviving the uneasy atmosphere with its short introductory sample. The savage rantings in French fit in perfectly with the jerky rhythm, as on Le vice des entrailles, where the bloody harmonics come back to give a cold touch to the aggressive riffs thrown in at full speed, which only slow down to place catchy moshparts or this eerie distant passage. Oliver Rae Aleron (Archspire) joins the combo to propel Nothing Left to Fear at almost superhuman speed, blending technicality and raw Grind before returning to wrenching leads on Ekbom, the eponymous track, which is sure to unleash the pits in front of which the band will perform in the future, like the insects the disease describes. Metastasis clearly doesn’t get any quieter, letting blast and choppy riffs frame heavy choruses, then the complex final ends up leaving us with the rousing A Reason for Treason, where the explosive rhythm never ceases to surprise us with its almost constant changes. Xavier Chevalier (Blockheads) joins the musicians to make Fame of the Grotesque a veritable block of unbridled fury, where the only slower parts throw us to the ground to be trampled, then the band goes full speed ahead again on Scapegoat, whose two minutes and a bit are perfect for a proper mosh with the occasional raised fist. Flesh Against Flesh takes us back to the darker tones while keeping the furious and totally insane spikes thanks to ultra-fast guitar, before the band takes time to tell us one last story with Mother Earth, Mother Whore, the final composition. The sampled vocals introduce us to the case of the day, giving us a well-deserved breather before the musicians return to unleash their instruments’ full power in a blistering rhythm combined with demented screams.
The reason for Benighted‘s success is obvious: their determination and raw strength takes them on the road. Ekbom strikes in two stages: a first listen to discover the disturbing, dark sounds, and a one second to roll over us without concession. The band can proudly hang this new success on its wall.
95/100