[Podcast] Interview with DARREN ‘DAZ’ BROOKES of UK Death Metal Godfathers BENEDICTION.
See below for interview audio links via all our various podcast platforms, as well as our Youtube Channel.
A fantastic discussion with mainstay guitarist Darren Brookes - a man still stoked to be plying his trade on the axe after multiple decades! In the interview, we discuss longevity as a band, staying true to their roots, achieving new successes 35+ years into their career, the recording/production/songwriting process behind Ravages of Empires and more!
We’ve also included a bunch of episode notes from the artist/label re: upcoming 8th studio LP Ravage of Empires - single music videos, album preorder links, artist/label links and more!
Ravage releases on April 4th - be sure to secure a spot on those physical preorders, ‘cause these will absolutely fly!
(Note: Given Darren didn’t have video available for the interview, rather than just have my mug on its’ own, both versions below are audio-only; latter is still playable via our YT channel.)
SPOTIFY:
Note: ISC Podcast is also available on: Our Youtube Podcast Page, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, GoodPods, iHeartRadio, PocketCasts and RadioPublic.
YOUTUBE:
BENEDICTION - RAVAGE OF EMPIRES
Release Date: April 4th, 2025
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Tracklist:
01 A Carrion Harvest
02 Beyond the Veil (of the Grey Mare)
03 Genesis Chamber
04 Deviant Spine
05 Engines of War
06 The Finality of Perpetuation
07 Crawling over Corpses
08 In the Dread of the Night
09 Drought of Mercy
10 Psychosister
11 Ravage Of Empires
Link to single ‘Engines of War’:
Link to single ‘Crawling Over Corpses’:
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Sometimes They Come Back is not just the title of a horror movie based on a macabre tale by Stephen King, it is also a summary of what happened to UK death metal veterans BENEDICTION, yet you might like to add a “better than ever before”. While never officially disbanded, 2020’s Scriptures, the group’s eighth studio album achieved what is usually not an easy feat. It connected well with classics like Transcend the Rubicon (1993) and its immediate and memorable songwriting, the heavy-as-a-brick Grind Bastard (1998), and also saw legendary vocalist Dave Ingram return with his merciless roar and knack for morbid, twisted lyrics.
After two albums with Dave Hunt on vocals, Scriptures was BENEDICTION’s first record in over a decade impressing with aggressive up-tempo attacks like ‘Iterations of I’ and ‘Rabid Carnality’ or the neck-breaking mid-tempo barrage of ‘Stormcrow’, songs that became live staples alongside ‘evergreens’ such as ‘I Bow to None’, ‘Magnificat’, ‘Subconscious Terror’ or ‘Vision in the Shroud’ in no time. With Scriptures, BENEDICTION even almost cracked Germany’s top ten by entering at a phenomenal #11 of the Official German Charts showing that the death metal veterans founded 1989 in Birmingham, England, offered an extremely well received sonic catharsis when due to the pandemic, people were locked down and pissed off.
When the shroud of Covid-19 lifted, the quintet finally could start to promote the album onstage with numerous festival gigs including Summer Breeze (DE), Copenhell (DK), Mystic Festival (PL), UK Deathfest, Alcatraz (BE), Party.San (DE), Obscene Extreme (CZ), Eindhoven Metal Meeting (NL) and Rock Hard (DE) to name but a few, played triumphant shows in South and Middle America as well as in their home country and all over Europe while crafting their new opus Ravage of Empires set for release on April 4, 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Kicking in the door without further warning, fast paced opener ‘A Carrion Harvest’ that mounts in a vicious Slayer-style break, starts with Ingram growling ‘Brace for impact, go!’ giving an unmistakable hint at what to expect during the following 47 minutes and 11 songs.
With tremolo riffs and hammering grooves in spades, tracks like ‘Engines of War’, ‘Genesis Chamber’, ‘Crawling over Corpses’, ‘In the Dread of the Night’, and ‘Psychosister’ show a remarkable consistency and Scott Atkins, who produced the record at Grindstone Studio once again, ensures with a crisp and massive sound that the aforementioned impact leaves no bone unshattered. Garnered with artwork by Wolven Claws Artist, Ravage Of Empires continues BENEDICTION’s flawless discography on Premier League level and promises to become one of 2025’s undisputable old school death metal highlights!
