BENEDICTION — Transcend the Rubicon (review)

BENEDICTION — Transcend the Rubicon album cover Album · 1993 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Transcend the Rubicon" is the 3rd full-length studio album by UK death metal act Benediction. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in August 1993. The release of "Transcend the Rubicon" was followed by the extensive "World Violation" tour with Cemetery and Atheist throughout Europe, USA, Canada, and a short tour in Israel (which they had visited before). After that tour drummer Ian Treacy would leave the band because of personal differences. New in the lineup on "Transcend the Rubicon" is bassist Frank Healy, who came from a role as guitarist in Cerebral Fix.

The music on the album pretty much continue the simple old school death metal style of "The Grand Leveller (1991)" and the "Dark Is the Season (1992)" EP, but with a cleaner sound production and a more tight delivery. Tracks like "Nightfear" and especially "Bow to None" are killer old school death metal tracks, but unfortunately not all tracks are equally as memorable. And that´s my main gripe with "Transcend the Rubicon". Other than that it´s obvious that the band have evolved as musicians and to a lesser degree as songwriters and "Transcend the Rubicon" overall comes off as a quality product. The sound production migh be a bit too clean and lifeless and I could have wished for a darker and more gritty sound, but that´s probably an aquired taste.

"Transcend the Rubicon" is arguably Benediction at their peak. Both popularity wise and artistically. While I personally prefer "The Grand Leveller (1991)" over "Transcend the Rubicon", the latter is more widely considered their best album and despite of my preferences it´s certainly a worthy purchase and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved.
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