Benighted - Dogs Always Bite Harder than Their Masters

Benighted

Dogs Always Bite Harder than Their Masters

by Martin Knap at 31 October 2018, 9:32 AM

BENIGHTED are a force to be reckoned with. This French Death-Grind machine has been around since 1998 and has eight full-length releases under its belt. I’m not a connoisseur of their discography, but according to the all-knowing Metal Archives website BENIGHTED was a Black Metal band in it’s beginnings. I’m not sure if this is the case, but one can tell that the members have different musical interests and can put it to use in their music. Death Metal and Grindcore are the basis of the band’s musical style, but sometimes “blackened” atmospheric moments may give respite from the Death-Grind insanity.

The EP “Dogs Always Bite Harder than Their Master” comes on the heels of the 2017 LP “Necrobreed” that was quite a success for the band. Not only did it impress from a songwriting and production standpoint, but it’s was also a high-water mark when it comes to the lyrics, which are not just over the top brutal to the point of being silly, as often lyrics produced in this genre are, but genuinely disturbing depictions of mental pathologies.

We find all the marks of BENIGHTED’s style on the three original songs on this EP. The fabric of the songs is woven together from Death Metal riffing style and groovy grind riffs. The vocalist uses growls and pig-squeals and can be pretty versatile when needed. He shows his vocal abilities on the cover of AT THE GATES song “Slaughter of the Soul” where his voice sounds commanding even when singing this more melodic song. As is expected, the drumming is absolutely pulverizing.

Besides the three songs and a cover song we find six older songs recorded live, which makes this EP almost 35 minutes long. Putting all this bonus material on the EP is a really good incentive for the buyer I would say. The live recordings showcase what an absolutely bad-ass live band BENIGHTED are. Their chops as live musicians are well known among Death Metal fans and it’s no wonder that they have been invited to play at all of the most important European festivals, including Hellfest, Wacken or Summer Breeze. This EP is good value for your money. The original songs are great, and the bonus material added to them you get a good slab of wholesome Death-Grind. If you want to jam something really brutal but fairly technical at the same time check it out.

Songwriting: 8
Memorability: 7
Originality: 7
Production: 8