Few bands have been forgotten quite like Benediction. Formed in 1989, this was Barney Greenway’s home before he joined Napalm Death, purveyors of an intense, Bolt Thrower-with-dynamics sound that has not been watered down at all in the last twenty years. Fine, the orchestral Intro here may be more suited for a Dimmu-knock off than the brute force unleashed with first track proper The Grey Man (about infamous serial killer, eater of children and general sick bastard Albert Fish) but any self-respecting fan of the older school of Death Metal will love every minute of Killing Music.

With Anaal Nathrakh’s Dave Hunt here providing the grunts and growls (sounding actually quite like Barney circa Harmony Corruption, Napalm D. fans) and the age-old team of Darren Brookes and Peter Rew cranking out the riffs, there’s little to criticise. I dug out 1993’s Transcend The Rubicon and gave that a (headbang-filled) listen before reviewing this, and apart from the growls of then-vocalist Dave Ingram (yes, of Bolt Thrower) there are very few differences. Drummer Neil Hutton (also of Stampin’ Ground!) deserves special mention, doing a great job throughout.

Songs such as the title track are great cuts, but it’s the truly dated-sounding (in a good way!) likes of Dripping With Disgust and Wrath And Regret that really get your neck snapping. Throughout the album, there’s nothing that will stick in your head, although it is a great listen. What you liked then, you’ll like now, and that’s about all there is to it. Sure, there are a few (and only a few) moments where the band takes steps away from their comfort zone – the melodious intro to They Must Die Screaming, for instance – but for the most part this is wonderfully pure, single-minded madness. Some more modern Death Metallers (you know, the ones who think Bloodbath invented Death Metal, Aborted were formed in 2004 and Nocturnus is a role-playing game) may find that Killing Music drags a little (and being honest, they’ve got a point – this won’t last that long on your playlist) but fuck ‘em – this isn’t music designed for wimps and posers! This is Killing Music, and it more than lives up to its name. It’s great that bands such as this are still going, proving the worth of British Death Metal in the face of strong opposition, and if you enjoy the sound of the Old School, you’ll love this.