San Diego’s Benedictum is a rising star in the metal scene, the band more or less discovered by Dio guitarist Craig Goldy (another Dio connection – Benedictum’s debut album, Uncreation, was produced by former Dio bassist Jeff Pilson). Vocalist Veronica Freeman is quite a find – unlike most women vocalists in metal (the majority of which are of in the graceful gothic metal category, the rest of which go for the other extreme of death metal), Freeman’s voice is pure metal, powerful and confident (the inclusion of not one, but two Dio-era Black Sabbath covers gives a good indication of her style, as well as the band’s direction). Benedictum is not a Dio worship band, though, as they draw from several 80’s metal influences (Metal Church, to name one) to forge a solid metal foundation. Uncreation has drawn rave reviews the world over, and it’s easy to see why – this is a quality traditional metal album, a welcome throwback to the glory days of the eighties metal scene while still sounding fresh and modern.