Benighted are ready to unleash the macabre as they announce their latest new studio album “Ekbom”. Pulsating with brutality, this new full-length studio album weaves a tale of psychological horror. The album alludes to Delusional Parasitosis, a syndrome in which individuals have a persistent belief of being infested with insects & bugs right under their skin.
A syndrome that is aptly represented on the album’s first single “Scars”. The song blasts straight into ultra-rapid riffs and Julien Truchan’s signature pig-squeal. While rhythmically impressive, Scars also displays Benighted ability to interlace their in-your-face style with clever drum breaks and harmonic passages. Creepy, gruesome and absolutely brutal, the band’s ready to absolutely melt faces once more.
The album was recorded at the famous Kohlekeller Studio in Germany. Known for recording albums by bands such as Powerwolf & Aborted, the studio and its engineer Kristian Kohlmannslehner gives “Ekbom” a perfect sound.
Watch the skin-crawling music video, crafted by Kick Your Eye Productions accompanies the single which visually complements the track masterfully below.
“Ekbom” is out on April 12th, 2024, on Season of Mist.
Available Formats:
• Digital Download
• CD Digipak
• 12″ Vinyl Gatefold – Black
• 12″ Coloured Vinyl Gatefold – Crystal Clear
• 12″ Coloured Vinyl Gatefold – Transparent Yellow & Black Marbled
• 12″ Coloured Vinyl Gatefold – Golden
• 12″ Liquid Vinyl Gatefold – Blood Red Liquid-Filled
Pre-order “Ekbom” here and pre-save it here.
Tracklist:
1. Prodrome (1:19)
2. Scars (3:15)
3. Morgue (3:22)
4. Le Vice des Entrailles (3:06)
5. Nothing Left to Fear (2:44)
6. Ekbom (3:42)
7. Metastasis (3:33)
8. A Reason for Treason (3:18)
9. Fame of the Grotesque (2:20)
10. Scapegoat (2:22)
11. Flesh against Flesh (3:18)
12. Mother Earth, Mother Whore (4:28)
Benighted will be heading out on the road in April for the Hellfest Warm-up Tour, bringing their signature brutal death metal sound to stages across France. They’re bringing along Ten56. on all of these dates, with support from Rise of the North Star, Stinky & Kamizol K on some dates.
Hellfest Warm-Up Tour 2024:
19 April: Clermont Ferrand, FR @ La Cooperative de Mai
20 April: Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey
21 April: Biarritz, FR @ Atabal
22 April: Cahors, FR @ Les Docks
23 April: Montpellier, FR @ Victorie 2
25 April: Nice, FR @ Stockfish
26 April: Crest, FR @ Bridge to Hell
27 April: Lausanne, CH @ Docks
28 April: Montbeliard, FR @ L’Axone
30 April: Oignies, FR @ La Metaphone
2 May: Paris, FR @ Cité de la Musique
3 May: Cherbourg, FR @ La Breche
4 May: Nantes, FR @ Warehouse
Dive into the darkest realms of the human psyche as Benighted, the French purveyors of brutal death metal & grindcore, unleash their tenth full-length album “Ekbom” in April 2024. The madness that has defined their discography continues with this radical soundtrack to the twisted times we inhabit.
Born from French Death and Black metal bands Dishumanized, Darkness Fire, and Osgiliath, Benighted emerged in 1998 with a mission to explore a more brutal, heavy, and modern form of musical expression. The impact of their first self-produced and self-titled full-length album in 2000 transformed Benighted from a side-project into a main act, quickly amassing a devoted fan base. Subsequent albums like “Psychose” (2002), “Insane Cephalic Production” (2004), “Identisick” (2006), and “Icon” (2007) further cemented their visceral, skull-breaking sound into extreme death metal history.
After a detour into the realms of Necrobreed in 2017, Benighted celebrated their 20th anniversary by capturing the live madness with “Dogs Always Bite Harder Than Their Master” in 2018.
With “Obscene Repressed”, they once again took sadistic pleasure in pushing the boundaries of brutality, delving into the disturbed mind of little Michael. His relentless battle against demons, fueled by unresolved oedipal issues with his mother, provided a grotesque tableau for Benighted’s sonic butchery. Not content with merely slaughtering everything in their auditory path, Benighted crafted thematically explorative pieces, each turn in their music revealing new layers of horror and despair.
As the relentless journey continues, Benighted is set to unleash “Ekbom” in April 2024, an album that draws inspiration from the nightmarish “Ekbom syndrome”. This rare neurological disorder, also known as Delusional Parasitosis, forms the thematic core of the upcoming release. A feeling of having a vile concoction of parasites, worms, and insects crawling under your skin is an apt description of what Benighted have to offer on this newest release. The auditory assault mirrors the repulsive sensations of the syndrome, a visceral and unsettling journey into the abyss of the human mind.
Madness reigns yet again, this time intertwining with the haunting echoes of Ekbom syndrome. Brace yourselves for another mind-shattering chapter in the Benighted saga as they continue to carve their niche in the putrid annals of extreme metal, leaving a trail of sonic disgust in their wake.
Line-up:
Julien Truchan – Vocals
Emmanuel Dalle – Guitars
Pierre Arnoux – Bass
Kevin Paradis – Drums
Recording studio:
Kohlekeller Studios, Germany (Powerwolf, Aborted, Crematory)
Producer, Sound, Mixing & Mastering engineer:
Kristian Kohlmannslehner
Guest musicians:
Oliver Peters (Archspire) on “Nothing Left to Fear”
Xavier Chevalier (Blockheads) on “Fame of the Grotesque”
Cover art: Grindesign (Rob Borbas)
