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Lebanese extreme metal band Benevolent is getting ready to unleash its debut full-length album. Hadi Sarieddine, the band’s co-founder, guitarist and vocalist has confirmed that the band is almost at the end of writing and preproduction process for the album, which is the follow up to the well-received Divided EP, which was released in 2010.
The EP gained the band rapid and well-deserved recognition and led to them being signed by the Dubai-based record company, Spellbind Records, who also feature Middle Eastmetal icons Nervecell on their roster.
Hadi describes the new album material as “dramatic, technical, uneasy, and progressive” and says that the album is a step up from the bands’ previous work, pushing their limits and boundaries forward.
“I think the album will probably end up being 8 or 9 songs, with more than just two long(er) songs (as compared to Divided EP). The material feels melancholy but with a very dramatically “upset” set of riffs, so I guess you can say it’s a set of very heavy and drop-tuned riffs sitting on layers of melodic chords and choruses, atmospheric sounds and textures, and just a pretty hard hitting set of songs,” he added.
Hadi said that the new songs on the album are longer then the band has previously done, plus the album has a whole new tuning, with only oneortwo sharing the same tuning as on the Divided EP.
“I wanted to explore writing riffs in different tunings…it felt like uncharted territory forme and that definitely got the creative juices flowing!” he said.
The band will record the debut, as yet untitled full-length with Sajid ‘Sarj’ Masood who worked with the band on Divided EP and has been repeatedly cited as one of the main factors that allowed the band’s sound to be experienced in the manner that it did. Though the band has not set a date as to when the recording of the album will start, the album is expected to be out in stores through the spring of 2012.
“I think the best part, for me, when it comes to this album is the fact that I believe it pushes the band’s sound identity notches ahead, it involves a lot of experimentation and was truly an experience writing it up because I feel that the songs have a veryorganic, different, and deep message that many listeners can relate to. I am very excited about it and cannot wait to get on with tracking and releasing the album!” said Hadi.
One of the songs on the album was done in tribute to a close friend that was killed tragically in December 2011.
“I’ve written one song in memory of my good friend David Gold of the band Woods of Ypres who passed away in a tragic car accident on the 21st of December 2011. This one song sets itself apart from the rest of the material, it’s mainly driven by piano and a string quartet with atmospheric layers topping that,” said Hadi.
To find out more about Benevolent’s writing and recording process and keep up with updates, check out the Benevolent blog here: http://hadibenevolent.blogspot.com AND you can download the band’s EP for FREE here: http://benevolent.bandcamp.com
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