Review: Benighted Plumb the Darkest Depths of the Human Psyche on Ekbom
Ekbom Syndrome: a psychiatric disorder defined by the National Library of Medicine as a delusory parasitosis, wherein the patient is convinced that their body has become infested with invisible bugs. Patients suffering from this syndrome will often swear up and down that they can actually see and feel these “bugs” burrowing through their skin even though no one else can see them. There’s a creepy rabbit hole to fall down there should you so desire, but all you need to know is that it’s a particularly nasty form of Restless Leg Syndrome, and it might be more common than you think. It’s freaky stuff, man.
Now I’m no doctor, but I do know one thing for certain: that is metal as fuck. And you know who else recognizes that? Julien Truchan, vocalist for the French tech death outfit Benighted, who also happens to work at a psychiatric hospital and has likely had up close and personal experience with this debilitating disorder. It’s a killer concept, but the real question is whether or not the music lives up to this macabre imagery. Short answer: it does. Very much so.
Ekbom is a visceral assault on the senses, but one that is tempered with the kind of subtle yet effective precision that only comes with 20-plus years of practice and experience. It’s blisteringly fast, but somehow not exhausting to listen to. In fact, it’s downright entertaining.
The opening riff of the first song “Scars” harkens back to the band’s early days when they leaned heavily towards black metal, but quickly shifts back into the lightning speed death metal territory they’ve since come to not only inhabit but thrive in. Within the first minute Monsieur Truchan busts out a variety of different vocal techniques, from pig squeals to high screams to gurgling mid-range growls that remind me of Som from Cerebral Bore. All of this demonstrates from the get-go that these guys are not here to mess around; a standard has been set, and now the real challenge becomes seeing it through. “Challenge accepted,” says Benighted.
The following tracks “Morgue” and “Le Vice de Entrailles” are surprisingly groovy for how fast they are, and “Nothing Left to Fear” sounds like it was originally written for and by Beneath the Massacre with its gravity blasts and machine gun breakdowns. Speaking of ridiculous drums, the title track and “Fame of the Grotesque” have some of the fastest traditional blasts I’ve heard in a hot minute, especially the latter. Seriously, I haven’t been that impressed by nonstop blast beats that fast since the first time I heard “Scorched” from Spawn of Possession. I don’t know what the hell they’ve been putting in Kévin Paradis’s water, but whatever it is, it’s working.
It’s not just the drums and vocals that stand out on this album, though. The bass really pops in the fight-worthy main riff on “A Reason for Treason”, and Emmanuel Dalle gets to flex his muscles a bit with an arpeggio-filled solo in the most recent single “Metastasis” (see the music video below), which also happens to be the only one on the album. This is a refreshing approach for tech death, which normally is filled to bursting with wannabe virtuosos, but instead Benighted have opted to primarily let the riffs speak for themselves, which pays off wonderfully. They make it a point to avoid any blatant repetition and ensure that each song has its own distinct sense of personality, which is no small task for an album with a dozen songs (well, 11 and an intro, but who’s counting, said the guy who literally just counted).
Lyrically there is an ever-present theme of desperation and a rapid descent into madness, which serves to add yet another layer of menace onto this already heaping serving of brutality. Lines like “I constantly feel it, your reassuring presence, this perpetual threat” and “Cages aren’t made of iron, they are made of thoughts and scars” paint a vivid picture of some poor wretch trapped within themselves, tormented by the mind itself and all but consigned to a grim, bitter fate. It’s depressing, but hey, that’s death metal for ya.
It’s a tricky thing to walk the line between blazing speed and genuine catchiness; there is a very real possibility of getting ahead of yourself at any given time, but Benighted have indeed managed to strike that balance on this album. The end result is a truly enjoyable 35-minute thrill ride across the narrow, blurred spaces between tech death and grindcore, blending the ferocity of the latter with the precision and variety of the former. They’ve been around for over 20 years now, and I’ve always liked them, but I’m not gonna lie, this is hands down my favorite material that they have put out thus far. It has the most polish of everything of theirs that I’ve heard, and it consistently holds your attention for the entire duration. It’s fucking badass, plain and simple. Santé, mes amis. Très bien.
Ekbom drops on Friday, April 12th via Season of Mist Records. Preorder your copy here
