Following in the footsteps of such legendary bands as Warrior, Rough Cutt and Psychotic Waltz, BENEDICTUM are San Diego, Californiaโs latest and mightiest ambassadors to the world of heavy metal.
Conjuring the power and mystique of early Rainbow and classic Savatage yet forging a sound that is uniquely their own, BENEDICTUMโs stylish, epic brand of metal delivers on all fronts: Awesome riffing, fierce rhythms, strong melodies, shredding leads and delicate textures converge at the crossroads of tradition and 21st century innovation topped off by what is truly one of the most extraordinary voices in metal, courtesy of Veronica Freeman, whose pipes have to be heard to be believed.
BENEDICTUM came to the attention of Dio guitarist Craig Goldy who was impressed enough with what he heard that he turned the group on to long-time friend and former band mate, Jeff Pilson (ex-Dokken, Dio). Equally blown away by the bands raw talent and untapped potential, Pilson took on the role of producer and recorded BENEDICTUM at his Los Angeles area studio, with ZuZu Recording production partner, former Warlock bassist Tommy Henriksen, sharing mixing duties.
The result of this collaboration was the incredible debut CD โUNCREATIONโ. Selected by Classic Rock magazine UK as one of the top bands to watch in 2006 and now selected by Rock Hard Germany and Classic Rock UK as one of the top 50 albums of 2006, BENEDICTUM are laying it down in a big way! After coming off of a successful tour with the legendary Doro Pesch, BENEDICTUM followed up with "Seasons Of Tragedy" produced by Jeff Pilson.
Prior to commencing work on their third album, Dominion, the band underwent significant lineup changes with only core members Veronica Freeman and Pete Wells remaining. Benedictum would also leave their original record company, Locomotive Music, and sign a new deal with Frontiers Records.Due to Jeff Pilson's commitments with Foreigner, main producing duties for the new album were handled by Grammy Award winning engineer/producer, Ryan Greene, whose credits include Megadeth and NOFX. Pilson and Craig Goldy would make guest appearances on the album as did legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo on the song "Bang". Continuing the tradition of covering at least one cover track on each album, the band cut "Overture" / "The Temples of Syrinx" / "Grand Finale" off of 2112 by Rush, which is featured as a bonus track.
New members Rikard Stjernquist (ex-Jag Panzer) on drums and Aric Avina on bass were recruited in 2012 to record their latest album Obey, released in November 2013.
Performers:
Veronica Freeman โ vocals
Pete Wells โ guitar
Aric Avina โ bass
Rikard Stjernquist โ drums
Studio albums
Uncreation (2006)
Seasons of Tragedy (2008)
Dominion (2011)
Obey (2013)
Crossing Over
Benedictum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will you not pray with me?
Skies fallen, what fate for me waits for me?
Long shadows, whispers and words
Revealing a spektrum of haze
Did I pass with a whimper
A gasp or a blaze?
Dark hollows a trip from the gallows
Deep seated bereft and depleted
Bored holes in the depth of my soul
As I cry out to be heard no more!
Crossing over for the river is wide
Cerberus in my sites
I am crossing over to the greater unknown
For my life now has flown far from me
Cold comfort I grasp
For my senses
And not in the vastness I see
Concealing the terror within
Was my life full of light or a bastion of sin?
Can't follow pushed from the Bardo
Now knowing there is no tomorrow
Drawn breathe as I heave from the depth
Is there no more of life for me left?
Crossing over for the river is wide
Cerberus in my sites
I am crossing over
Will I cling to the sheets?
Phlegathon burning brightly for me
This is my own Gethsemane
This is my own mortality!
Die sweetly release
Now completely
Don't know what's beyond or beneath me
Life checked as if incomplete
And I know not what fate lies for me
Crossing over for the river is wide
Cerberus in my sites
I am crossing over
For the chasm is deep
As my life slips away from me
Crossing over to the greater unknown
Where the truth shall be shown
I am crossing over,
For the river is wide
Cerberus by my side
The song "Crossing Over" by Benedictum depicts the fear and uncertainty that one may feel when facing death. The lyrics suggest that the singer is questioning how they lived their life and whether they will be judged for their actions. The line "Was my life full of light or a bastion of sin?" portrays this uncertainty and fear of being judged. The mention of the river being wide and Cerberus, the three-headed dog guarding the entrance to the underworld in Greek mythology, adds to the imagery of crossing into the afterlife.
The use of the term "Bardo" may also suggest a connection to Buddhism where it refers to the state between death and rebirth. Overall, the song portrays a deep questioning of one's own mortality and what awaits them beyond life.
Line by Line Meaning
Stay with me!
Please don't leave me alone in this difficult time.
Will you not pray with me?
Can you please join me in prayer for strength and guidance?
Skies fallen, what fate for me waits for me?
Everything around me seems to be crumbling, and I wonder what future lies ahead for me.
Long shadows, whispers and words
I'm surrounded by a looming sense of dread and people speaking in hushed tones.
Revealing a spektrum of haze
All of this uncertainty is clouding my judgement and making it hard to see clearly.
Did I pass with a whimper
A gasp or a blaze?
I can't help but wonder if I made a mark on this world or if I'll be forgotten in time.
Dark hollows a trip from the gallows
Deep seated bereft and depleted
I feel like I'm in a deep, dark hole with no way out and completely drained of energy.
Bored holes in the depth of my soul
As I cry out to be heard no more!
My thoughts are tearing apart my soul and I wish I could just make them stop.
Crossing over for the river is wide
Cerberus in my sites
I am crossing over to the greater unknown
For my life now has flown far from me
I'm getting ready to pass away, and I know that I'm heading towards something I can't comprehend because my time on Earth has come to an end.
Cold comfort I grasp
For my senses
And not in the vastness I see
Concealing the terror within
I'm holding onto something familiar to try and calm myself down, but it's not working. Everything around me is overwhelming and terrifying.
Was my life full of light or a bastion of sin?
I don't know if I led a good life or if I made a lot of mistakes that I'll be judged for.
Can't follow pushed from the Bardo
Now knowing there is no tomorrow
Drawn breathe as I heave from the depth
Is there no more of life for me left?
I'm being pulled away from life towards death, and it's hitting me that there's no changing what's coming. It feels like I'm barely hanging on and wondering if there's anything left for me after this.
Crossing over for the river is wide
Cerberus in my sites
I am crossing over
Will I cling to the sheets?
Phlegathon burning brightly for me
I'm on the brink of death, and I'm wondering if I'll hold on for dear life or if I'll let go into the unknown. The river of death is getting closer, and it feels like I'm on fire.
This is my own Gethsemane
This is my own mortality!
This is my moment of reckoning, where I have to face the fact that I'm going to die.
Die sweetly release
Now completely
Don't know what's beyond or beneath me
Life checked as if incomplete
And I know not what fate lies for me
As I die, I feel a sense of relief and freedom. I don't know what lies ahead of me, and I don't feel like I had enough time to finish everything I wanted to in life. There's so much uncertainty.
Crossing over for the river is wide
Cerberus in my sites
I am crossing over
For the chasm is deep
As my life slips away from me
Crossing over to the greater unknown
Where the truth shall be shown
I am crossing over,
For the river is wide
Cerberus by my side
As I finally cross over into death, I know that I'm stepping into something completely unknown. It's scary, but I also know that it's inevitable. The river of death is deep and wide, and I have no choice but to go on. I just hope that there's something better waiting for me on the other side.
Contributed by Chloe D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.