Following in the footsteps of such legendary bands as Warrior, Rough Cutt and Psychotic Waltz, BENEDICTUM are San Diego, California’s 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, BENEDICTUM’s 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 “UNCREATION”. 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 – vocals
Pete Wells – guitar
Aric Avina – bass
Rikard Stjernquist – drums
Studio albums
Uncreation (2006)
Seasons of Tragedy (2008)
Dominion (2011)
Obey (2013)
Misogyny
Benedictum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know who you are
The perfect stranger
With the face that blends in the crowd
And I know how you feel
Your hatred for me
I'm your backstreet filthy whore
I'm the bitch that you can't ignore
You wish that you could
Snuff me out
With your misogyny
No longer blind, my eyes they see
Beyond the parallel to me
But you won't take my dignity
With your misogyny
You want me on my knees
You think that women are only there to please you
So take me if you will
But my spirit is something you'll never kill
I'm you mother, sister, whore
I'm the bitch that you can't ignore
You wish that you could snuff me out
With your misogyny
(Chris Solo)
(Pete Solo)
No longer blind, my eyes they see
Beyond the parallel to me
But you won't take my dignity
With your misogyny
You will not take my life
You cannot make it right
The song "Misogyny" by Benedictum is a powerful and confronting song about the hatred and oppression of women. The lyrics see the lead singer addressing a man who holds deep-rooted hatred toward her and all women. She acknowledges that he is a stranger with an unremarkable face, someone who blends in with the crowd, but he stands out to her because of his hatred. The singer understands his dark feelings of contempt for her and all women and sees him as a symbol of the patriarchy and its oppressive nature.
The singer identifies herself as a "backstreet filthy whore" and "bitch," terms often used to degrade and objectify women. But she also knows that she is much more than that in reality, and she won't let his hatred take away her dignity. She also speaks out against the sexual objectification of women and those who view them as mere sexual objects, meant only to please men. She asserts that she is more than that, and her spirit is something he could never kill.
The song shows the singer's strength in the face of adversity and how she refuses to be oppressed by misogyny. She realizes that women and their worth cannot be defined by men or oppressive societal norms. The song is a call to action, a plea to stand up against misogyny and to acknowledge women for who they truly are.
Line by Line Meaning
I know who you are
I am aware of your identity
The perfect stranger
You are a complete stranger
With the face that blends in the crowd
You look like an ordinary person
And I know how you feel
I am aware of your emotions
Your hatred for me
You despise me
Is dark and deep and real
Your hatred is intense and genuine
I'm your backstreet filthy whore
You view me as a dirty, low-class prostitute
I'm the bitch that you can't ignore
You cannot overlook my existence
You wish that you could
You desire
Snuff me out
Kill me
With your misogyny
Because of your hatred of women
No longer blind, my eyes they see
I am no longer unaware, I understand
Beyond the parallel to me
Beyond the point of comparison to myself
But you won't take my dignity
You will not diminish my self-respect
You want me on my knees
You want me to submit to you
You think that women are only there to please you
You believe that women exist solely for your satisfaction
So take me if you will
You can have me if you want
But my spirit is something you'll never kill
You cannot destroy my inner essence
I'm you mother, sister, whore
I represent women who are close to you
You wish that you could snuff me out
You desire to kill me
With your misogyny
Because of your hatred of women
You will not take my life
You cannot kill me
You cannot make it right
You cannot correct the wrongs you've done
Contributed by Lauren L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sophie Hartley
awesome song awesome band, veronica is amazing. massively underrated band, and this whole album is great ^^
texasnewt
Love the song's 'hook'. Oh, yeah, the rest of the tune ain't bad either! Fabulous metal sound as always by Benedictum -- thanks for sharing and posting this!
W VV
La verdad el metal no me gusta pero esta es una de las excepcciones ! :D
acerb45666555
damn! that woman kicks ass!! many a dude goes down in flames trying to match her vocals!!
texasnewt
Awesome voice par excellence period!
Joseph Parson
This is one of my favorites... Good work...
acerb45666555
i wanna giant poster of that CD cover art!!!
acerb45666555
i like this, and the rougher live version.
Caterpillar82
wow great song
Asarelah
Wow. She sounds like a female Dio.