Metal... a male-dominated genre. But who says a chick can't kick some ass too? Oh yeah... not only have women stapled themselves into the Metal scene over the last several years, many have found their niche, and have matched (and in some cases surpassed) the capabilities of many of their male counterparts. Just listen to the hellish lungs of ARCH ENEMY's Angela Gossow as a prime example! Make no mistake about it: the number of female-fronted bands is on the rise. One such band is San Diego, CA's BENEDICTUM, and they're turning heads as we speak.

The band (Veronica Freeman - vocals, Pete Wells - guitar, Jesse Wright - bass, Paul Courtois - drums, Tony Diaz - keyboards) pack a serious punch with their traditional epic style of Heavy Metal/Hard Rock, much in the vein of old SAVATAGE, DIO and ROUGH CUTT, but with a strong female presence. Veronica Freeman has some serious pipes, and she can turn your ear drums into mincemeat if she wanted to. Unlike the "Hardcore" sound predominantly embraced by several other female vocalists like Laura Nichol (LIGHT THIS CITY) or Maria Brink (IN THIS MOMENT), Freeman's style is unique - powerful, rough and soaring yet melodic and emotional at the same time.

"Seasons Of Tragedy" is the band's follow-up to their debut outing, "Uncreation". Much of the same traditional, raw style is still present here, but they venture further in their development with a more diversified approach to the music. While the material on "Uncreation" mostly consisted of the same ingredients throughout, this sophomore album has a lot more to offer in terms of variety. The purely instrumental intro "Dawn Of Seasons" leads straight into the scorching "Shell Shock", a solid wrecking machine of a track (great fret work by the way), while "Bare Bones" brings the speed down three or four notches, and introduces Freeman's more soothing, melodic vocals in some parts. "Beast In The Field" has a nice piano intro before switching gears into overdrive with pounding head-banging rhythm. "Legacy" and the ballad "Steel Rain" are two more examples of how Freeman incorporates more clean, melodic vocals into the arrangement. Perhaps the finest display of her vocal ability comes in the form of "Nobodies Victim", which boasts some real hefty, high-soaring screams.

The album sounds great thus far, with almost every song having its own distinct identity. Sadly though, the momentum hits a pothole with BENEDICTUM's nod to ACCEPT. The band covered BLACK SABBATH's "Heaven And Hell" on "Uncreation", and did a hell of a good job with it, but here they've attempted to cover "Balls To The Wall", and the result is a tad weak. Freeman's vocals aren't the problem at all; in fact, she delivers a nearly flawless performance recreating Udo Dirkschneider's immortal screams (even changing the lyrics "come on man..." to "come on girls..."). The complaint here is that certain parts of the musical arrangements (mainly the guitars), just don't really fit. For one, the beginning riff is cropped out slightly. Then the main rhythm guitar parts divert slightly away from the original, which makes the song lose its original luster; and the double kick in the chorus is just overkill. No doubt, covering a classic Metal anthem is no easy task, and nothing can ever replace the original, but sorry... this one could have been done a little better.

In summary, BENEDICTUM have done well with "Seasons Of Tragedy". It's a natural progression from "Uncreation" and will appeal to anyone who values the traditional Metal of old, especially those who long to hear the '80s sound recreated in the present day. Though still in the infancy of their career, BENEDICTUM possess every bit of potential necessary to make a success of themselves and catapult their music into the hierarchy of Metaldom.