Hello everybody, we're here today at the Motocultor Festival with Benediction. How's it going?
Dave – It's going very well, thank you. I haven’t been here that long, but I already feel very comfortable, so that's a really good sign.
Peter – Yeah, it's been good. We got here yesterday, spent some time in town, had a few beers. Very nice place, relaxed atmosphere. We're looking forward to the show, the weather's warm, so yeah, so far so good.

You’re playing in a few hours, are you excited, a bit nervous?
Dave – Yeah, we've never really been nervous. The last time I was nervous was August 11th, 1990, in Wrexham, and that was my first show with Benediction. That was the last time.

Great!
Dave – Yeah, also, I looked like a right cunt.

Is there any band you're looking forward to seeing at the festival?
Dave – Well, us really. I'd love to see Monolord, but I don’t know if they're on the same day as us.
Peter – Pelican are playing tomorrow.
Dave – Yeah, I wanted to see Pelican.
Peter – I like Pelican too, but we've got another festival in Norway tomorrow, so we're only here today. It's a shame, but you do what you can.

That’s quite a lot of travel.
Peter – Yeah, always. We have to leave at one o'clock to get to Nantes airport in the morning, so it’s not all fun.
Dave – We'll be very sweaty in the next city.

Your album Scriptures marked a strong comeback after more than a decade without a new record. With Ravage of Empires, do you see yourselves continuing that momentum, or stepping into a completely new chapter?
Dave – Well, how can we say? With Scriptures, we did a bunch of old school death metal. With Ravage of Empires, we did a shit ton of old school death metal. So are we stepping into a new era? There are certain differences because of the recording process and the producer, Scott, but we’re never going to start doing something like Meshuggah or anything like that. Not that they’re bad, but we’ll always evolve our own sound. We love old school death metal, and we’re not going to stray too far from that.
Peter – Yeah, you just want to be the best version of yourself—the best version of Benediction you can be—without going too far. People like us for sounding like us. With Dave coming back, it feels like a new era, he gave us fresh impetus, and we really knuckled down to write the best stuff we could. And there’s plenty more to come.

What do you feel are the main differences between Subconscious Terror and Ravage of Empires?
Peter – Lots of years.
Dave – [Laughs] Yeah, a lot of years. Production values, experience.
Peter – Exactly. We’ve been doing it a long time now, and I think we’re getting pretty good at it.
Dave – Although we might fuck up at some point—but everybody does, shit happens.
Peter – It’s our art, and you just refine it. Some bands lose their way when they try to be something they’re not. We’re not like that. We’re going to stick to our art form.

And how do you find the balance between keeping that old school death metal sound that defines your band, and pushing your limits?
Peter – That’s a tough one. Just the next step, really—evolving slightly with the songwriting. Maybe a bit more technical in places, but not too far. Just writing really good, catchy songs.
Dave – Yeah. And also, like I said, the producer Scott brings a lot to the table, as does that big tit-head over there [points at Darren]. When we did Scriptures, I’d never worked with anyone like that before, and with Ravage he pushed us even harder. He worked our asses off, didn’t let up, and that really helps. There were times I thought, “fuck this,” but you power through, because he gets it.
Peter – First time I met him, he said, “My name is going on that album as well, so you’re going to work damn hard. It’s just as important to me. I only do bands I want to do.” From day one, he told us we’d have to work hard, and he meant it. I’m dreading the next one. [laughs]

That’s amazing! And how does the current heavy scene influence your creative process?
Dave – Does it? For me, it doesn’t. Lyrically, I don’t listen to new death metal at all. Maybe the old stuff—Autopsy, Immolation, Incantation—but not the new bands.
Peter – Because it’s not death metal.
Dave – Exactly. It’s too clean, too polished. No dirt behind it.
Peter – For us, blast beats aren’t death metal. When we started, it was Grindcore that had blast beats. Death metal didn’t. Now everyone’s putting them everywhere, with extreme vocals, firing as fast as possible. That’s not us. We just want to write catchy death metal songs—catchy lyrics you can actually understand.
Dave – Yeah, exactly. And we also write with an underlying punk element, because that’s our attitude.
Peter – That’s where death metal comes from, for us.
Dave – Exactly.

And what’s your creative process in the studio? How do you create together?
Peter – Me and Darren, the other guitarist, put riffs together. Basically, just at home, in the kitchen or bedroom. We trade ideas, send them back and forth. Once we’re happy, we send them to Dave, he changes things and puts vocals on. That’s pretty much it—we’re just sharing ideas between the three of us.

I’ve only got one question left, because everything you said was so complete. You talk straight to the point.
Darren – Kind of like the music.
Dave – Exactly! Like our music—straight to the point.

So, do you have a message for your fans?
Dave – Yeah. Within the music, no. But within the scene—yes. To the fans: have a great time. At the show, be careful. Outside the show, be careful. Be good to the scene, because when you’re true to it, it’ll be true to you. There are so many shitty people out there trying to fuck things up—don’t let them. Just be yourself and have a damn good time.
Peter – And thanks. Thanks for sharing this journey with us.
Dave – We’ve been around a while, and we really appreciate the support we get. We couldn’t do this without the fans.
Peter – We’re just fans ourselves, really. We’ve just been lucky enough to play in a band, travel around the world and do it. We’re just like everybody else.

Thank you for your time!
Dave – Thanks!
Peter – Thanks!