Benighted
Ekbom

4.0
excellent

Review

by NexCeleris USER (3 Reviews)
April 14th, 2024 | 59 replies

Release Date: 04/12/2024 | Tracklist

Review Summary: No, not the tree

"Ekbom" is the Swedish word for oak. You know who else was Swedish? A neurologist of the same name primarily renowned for his publications on two medical conditions, which were eventually named after him: Ekbom syndrome, also known as delusional parasitosis, and the Willis-Ekbom disease, commonly referred to as restless legs syndrome.

While the former served as an inspiration for this tenth full-length by French deathgrind outfit Benighted, as evidenced by the cover artwork and the title track’s lyrics, the latter would be a perfectly valid explanation for the relentless blasting the listener is greeted with after Ekbom’s somber intro "Prodrome". Kévin Paradis, who joined the currently four-piece band in 2017, has long proven his talents (check out last year’s Shambhallic Vibrations by Lunar Chamber for a more varied showcase of his skills) and puts his honed craft on display throughout the album, seamlessly fusing extreme drumming techniques and imbuing the compositions with surprisingly playful touches on all of the heads and cymbals his kit comprises. As far as public record goes, he fortunately doesn’t suffer from RLS.

Benighted had started leaning towards the death metal side of their genre with their two previous outings. This time, they managed to strike a good balance between tracks with a more traditional grindcore structure ("Fame of the Grotesque", "Scapegoat", "Flesh Against Flesh") and those with more emphasis on contemporary elements ("Scars", "Le Vice des Entrailles", "Nothing Left to Fear"), going as far as to incorporate the occasional breakdown. This mixture makes Ekbom a deathgrind experience in the truest sense and tremendously helps it avoid the trappings of the two superordinate genres, meaning it may very well turn out to be a fun ride for listeners who shudder at the thought of an album consisting of 30 samey one-minute grind songs.

Julien Truchan’s vocal chords sound like they haven’t aged a day in the 26 years that have gone by since the group’s inception. There’s no broken tee-hee-heeth here, but still plenty of ees, wees and a downright impressive variety of lows ranging from gnarly false chords to low-pitched gargling that at one point sounds like they mixed it with the sound of someone taking a bong rip. Actually, they might have just done exactly that.

Production, mixing and mastering duties were handled by the Frenchmen’s longtime partner in crime, Kristian Kohlmannslehner. Kohle is like the German equivalent to Dave Otero, aiming for a polished, decidedly modern sound, and it shows here. The sound as a whole does indeed feel very polished and lacks the abrasiveness typically associated with grindcore. However, the special attention given to the drums should not be understated. The kick sounds expectedly uniform, but there are many moments sprinkled throughout the tracks where the rest of the kit sounds like an actual instrument rather than a mere arrangement of samples. The bass ranges from pronounced and prominent to barely audible during the more hectic passages. You’re not missing out on noodlecore here, though.

Ekbom marks a high point for Benighted. Not only does it feature all their trademarks, but it feels like the culmination of their sound, the result of years and years of refining it. Its overall dark, at times blackened tone is interspersed with quirky little details. It‘s highly energetic, elegant in its simplicity and, most of all, fun.

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