Progressive Metallers Benevolent from The United Arab Emerates have announced that former Chimaira drummer Andols Herrick will be featured on their upcoming album.
Herrick, who left Chimaira back in April 2011, will be featured on an as-yet unrevealed track on Benevolent's upcoming debut full-length through Spellbind Records. Band co-founder and lead guitarist Hadi Sarieddine is still in awe over Herrick appearing on the record.
"It is pretty crazy thinking that Andols Herrick is going to be drumming on one of our songs; if I go back in time and tell past-me that this was happening I'd probably get a pretty sarcastic reaction."
Sarieddine added,
"The last couple of years since we started the band have been absolutely insanely great for us; getting such great reviews for the debut record, getting signed to Spellbind Records, and now this? I can't think that things could be any better for the band, I'm really proud of how things are coming together"
Herrick commented on his work with Benevolent saying,
"I was approached by Hadi Sarieddine awhile back about the possibility of tracking drums for Benevolent. I was quite impressed with the quality of the music and vocals. I love having the opportunity to work with a great band, who happens to represent the Middle East metal scene very well. I do know it is very vibrant having had the pleasure of performing with Chimaira at the Desert Rock Festival in Dubai back in 2009."
Benevolent burst out on the Middle East scene with their debut EP Divided in 2010, which the band released for free through the music site Bandcamp. The EP garnered them fans across the globe, leading to the band signing to Spellbind Records in September of 2011.
The band has said the new record will be a technical, dark and progressive album. It will pick up where Divided left off musically while expanding on the band's sound identity.
Sarieddine further commented on the album, stating,
"It's definitely a lot more technical than Divided; the songs have a lot going on and while it preserves that sound that we've created in our debut EP this is a step forward on many levels and it tells a story about lots of dark themes with the lyrical and instrumental direction on the album."
Herrick commented on his specific track, saying,
"This song presented numerous rhythmic challenges as I was learning it. If you were a drummer with limited music theory experience, I'd just say 'Good luck trying to learn it!' The song is loaded with 'over the bar line' guitar riffs, and I found myself, on occasion, discovering some of my transcriptions would be a sixteenth note off here or there!"
Frontman and co-founder Fadi Sarieddine stated of the new album,
"We all can't wait to share this album with the world; I believe we have a very strong set of new songs and it's going to be great to share the new stuff with the world. Once the album is done, it will be the begin of the next phase of this observation's life cycle, and that is to get it all out there to as many listeners as possible worldwide; we're excited and we absolutely cannot wait!"
Benevolent is slated to release their debut full length in the spring of 2012 through Spellbind and will then tour throughout the Middle East to promote the release.
Check out the band through their Facebook page and listen to and download the EP Divided below for free.
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