Truth be known, Metal music historically has been dominated by men since its birth, but Metal is not just a man's world anymore. It's a fact that veteran vixens like Doro Pesch, Lita Ford and Lee Aaron certainly paved the way for the new wave of females that have been entering into the Metal industry over the past several years. Now there are more women in Metal than ever before. Bands like ARCH ENEMY, EPICA, WITHIN TEMPTATION, AFTER FOREVER, LEAVES' EYES etc. have embraced females as their lead singers. Another band, who are relatively new on the scene is BENEDICTUM. At the helm is lead vocalist Veronica Freeman, and like her other female counterparts, she has found her place in the Metal world and called it her own. The one thing that sets Freeman apart from the rest of the pack is that she possesses one of the most unique, robust set of vocal chords ever heard. Just take a listen to any BENEDICTUM song and you're find yourself shaking your head and doubting your senses, asking yourself "Damn, that's a chick singing?" With the recent release of their second outing, "Seasons Of Tragedy", the San Diego/Phoenix-based powerhouse show that they are not just another Metal band, but rather a Metal band who really know what they are doing, and as Freeman explains, they're loving every minute of it.

Let's talk about your new album, "Seasons Of Tragedy". How was the overall recording process?

"It was kind of crazy like it was for the first one. We work with Jeff Pilson (FORIEGNER, ex-DOKKEN) as our producer. It took a lot longer than most I would think because we had to go up there in little sections instead of just getting a whole big block of recording time, which I think actually worked out to our benefit though. We had a chance to kinda sit with what we'd done and rethink things and all that kind of stuff. But it was a blast... I mean we were looking forward to it. We've developed such a close relationship with Jeff that it's like seeing a good friend and he makes it so much fun, most of the time (laughs). So we just did our thing, went up there to work around his tour schedule 'cause he's touring with FOREIGNER. But yeah, it worked out really great and we're pretty happy with the end result."

It must be exciting to work with Jeff because he has all that experience in the industry. As you know he used to be in DOKKEN and he has that real sense of history behind him.

"That has been probably one of the highlights of everything for us because for the first album ('Uncreation') we were real nervous when we went up there to meet him and everything, and we were real honoured that he was willing to take us on. Like I said we developed a really close relationship, good working relationship with him. I mean, I feel like he really understands my voice better than anyone I've ever worked with, so you just can't put a price on that. Yeah, I was real nervous. We were all a little bit intimidated, but he made us feel very much at ease. He is definitely probably one of the sweetest people I've met but when it comes to business (laughs) he doesn't play around, so he'll definitely put you to task and make sure that you are on point and do what you have to do and if it's n tot working he's not afraid to tell ya (laughs), which is good. I wouldn't want anyone to say 'Oh that's great, that's great!' and then it sounds like crap. I mean, you know, you want that sort of thing, and he's just a very good people person as well. He knows how to draw the best out of people and kind of paces himself with the person that he's working with at the time, so we really appreciate that."

The selection here is great... "Dawn Of Season", then it hits right into "Shell Shock". It's definitely a big progression from the first album. You diversify your voice so much more with this one. There is a lot more variety involved.

"That's was definitely intentional. I'm glad that you caught that because you know, with the first time out we wanted to kind of make our own little statement and you're just kind of coming into your own and everything, but I knew that there were some other things that I'd wanted to do, given the opportunity to do a second album. So I kinda had stuff in the back of my mind the whole time, that I wouldn't mind showing some other sides of my voice and showing a little bit of diversity in the music as well. I think we all kinda grew into this second one."

It's great to see that you had added some melody in there as well in addition to the harsh vocals. "Steel Rain" comes to mind...

"Almost didn't do that one. I was real nervous about that. Pete (Wells - guitar) and I had written that one, God quite a while back, and that was one of the ones where we talked to each other over the phone and said 'You know, do you think we should present this one to Jeff?' I was real nervous about it because it was such a departure from my usual, like you said, aggressive thing. So he was like 'Hell yeah!', and now it's become one of my favourites, just because it is kind of different."

The feeling that I get from this album personally is that there is a lot of '80s influence/sound, if that is correct? There's just that real sense of organic substance there, you know.

"I'm glad that you caught that. That was kind of like the intent. It wasn't like we intentionally said 'We're going to have an '80s sound!' It's just a collection, especially with Pete and I because we do most of the writing and stuff, of our influences, and then wanted not for it to be too dated. We wanted to kind of put a modern spin on it as well, but kind of stay true to the things that have inspired us over the years. So I'm glad that that crossed over."

I think those who grew up in the old school days can grasp that too.

"Yeah, I think that that is what a lot of our fan-base is because you know, you listen to a lot of the 'classic Metal stations' and it's the same stuff being played over and over, and what is sad to me is that we're not the only ones out there. There are a lot of good bands out there that kinda have maybe more of a traditional sound, but are coming up with new stuff, but it's not getting played. But there are a lot of people out there that would like to hear it, so I guess there just has to be the demand over here."

I don't know if North America is on par with Europe yet, because obviously you know that Europe is just huge for Metal. We're rapidly getting there though. Metal seems to be the "in" thing again.

"That just makes me thrilled, which is indicative of the fact that we're doing this interview. It's really great. For the first album you know I didn't do a whole lot of press in North America. I did some, but not a whole lot. In comparison for ('Seasons Of Tragedy') I think it has to do with the album itself, but also just the mindset and the trends that may be opening up and changing a little bit over here, I hope (laughs)."

Exactly, and it's good to see you guys are adding yourselves into the mix.

"We're happy (laughs)."

It has to be tough these days with the economy suffering in the U.S. ...

"It really, really is. That is one of the things... because we're getting ready to go on tour, and it's not that were not getting paid decently for some of the shows that we're doing, it's just, you know, the flights over (to Europe) and transportation and all that kind of stuff really eats into it, and when you're a five-piece band that makes it even more difficult. We're hoping to get some support from our label (Locomotive Records) for that, but you know, we have to make it work. We really want to get out and support this album so we're making a lot of sacrifices to do that. That's also because this is our passion too and we really believe in what we're doing so we hope that is all works out well."

In what role do you think the Internet has played in helping you gain some ground?

"I think it's been a definite integral part of the whole scheme, especially now. I mean of course you have the downside which is, you know, illegal downloads and stuff like that, but I guess at this point everybody has to deal with that. The other side of that coin is a very positive thing. A lot of bands that wouldn't normally get heard are getting heard and it's a way to get yourself out there and there are a lot of resources to help make that happen. I think the Internet is a great thing."

Can you describe what the concept is behind the cover artwork for the new album and what you guys wanted to do when creating this?

"That one turned out well, but it wasn't planned. You do have some of the elements like the 'Seasons Of Tragedy' and it's definitely about a journey... going through a lot of different things in life and actually the song itself is about a journey to enlightenment and the battles that you have to go through in that process. Then the song talks about the four different birds - the owl and the eagle and all that kind of stuff."

Who came up with the name BENEDICTUM?

"Um, actually it was the name of one of the songs, as you know, that's on the first album, and originally we were calling ourselves BOUND, but I guess there was another band named BOUND. When we first shopped for a deal with a label, we shopped it as BOUND and so when Locomotive was interested and we started working with them, they kinda said 'You know, we don't really like the name. It's not Metal enough.'... and one of the songs on the three-song demo was 'Benedictum'... so they're like 'We're kinda liking BENEDICTUM. We think it has a real good sound to it and it sounds heavy' and all that stuff. We were not happy about it at first. We were like' No way.'... and they were like 'Well, if you can come up with something else that's better then go for it.' (laughs) So we had the match gram to come up with a different name 'cause we wanted something kinda latin-sounding, which we thought would be cool, but it ended up being BENEDICTUM, and so now we're used to it. I'm actually happy with it now. It took a while to get used to, but it kinda does stand out, so that's a good thing."

You took over The Classic Metal Show recently. How was it?

"It was a lot of fun and we got some really positive feedback on it. We decided we were going to make the most of that opportunity and we were so thrilled to be able to do that. We went up to Jeff's studio... so Jeff was the co-host and George Lynch (ex-DOKKEN guitarist) got on the phone and we tried to make it funny an interesting. Then we wanted to involve some of the other members of the band as well. So it was Pete, Tony (Diazz) our new keyboard player, Jeff and myself - we all went up to L.A. and then Paul (Courtois) our drummer did a few segments on his own down in San Diego, and we put it all together and it came out pretty cool. We had a blast! That was one of the most fun things I've had a chance to do (laughs). So that was real cool."

On the first album, you covered "Heaven And Hell". What made you decide to cover "Balls To The Wall"? That is an all-time classic Metal song.

"Probably because of that, but mostly it was one of those things where it just kind of popped into my head 'Wouldn't that be cool if a woman sang it.' I mean, no one would really expect that now would they? So I just wanted to have fun with it and that was the whole idea. When I proposed the idea it was like 'That's great!' Then of course, I started to back out... I'm like "I can't do this!' But I'm kinda happy with the way it came out. We kinda put our own little spin on it and had a lot of fun doing it."

Was it exciting to try and recreate such a staple Metal anthem?

"Yeah it was. I kinda had an idea in my head of how I wanted it to be and musically it came out great. When I was in the recording studio I had a hell of a time with it. That was one of those moments where Jeff was like 'You know, you need to come back tomorrow.' (laughs) So yeah, it was kind of obvious because 'You need to quite trying to be Udo (Dirkschneider) and just be Veronica, having fun with this. Where's my V? Where's my crazy V that's having fun with this?'... 'cause I was not having fun and I was in tears. Then I came back with a different attitude and then it came out cool."

You did a really good job. I'm impressed because it's not very easy to recreate that. Who can scream like Udo? Nobody can. I like the "Come on girls, let's stand up all over the world..."

"(Laughs hysterically) Thanks. Yeah I thought it would be good but you know... I was like 'No I can't do that' and Jeff said 'Yeah go for it!' So I went ahead and did that and we did have a lot of fun with it. We got a lot of mixed reactions to that whole thing, but that's what makes it interesting, so I'm happy about it."

Yeah for sure, and you kind of put your statement out there and give a nod to the girls in the world who like Metal...

"Why the hell not? That's right. I mean I need all the help I can get (laughs)."

Obviously Metal is mostly male-dominated, but in recent years there have been a lot more females coming into the mix. Heard of ARCH ENEMY?

"Oh my God, of course. My God yes, bow down. She's amazing! I don't know... I just stand in awe of that. I just think that that's fantastic. But there are a lot of women out there. My whole little spiel on the whole female thing in Metal is that it's male-dominated but I think that there is room for everybody. I've been very fortunate. If it wouldn't have been for the very open-minded and powerful and resourceful men helping me out we wouldn't be having this conversation, so that's kind of my take on it. So really it's not a big deal. My experience has been pretty good so far. I mean, you get the occasional thing. For me personally it's always been more about 'Why do you want to sing that sort of music? Why don't you sing something else?' As opposed to a lot of... I haven't had a lot of hindrance within the business of doing what I do, but there is still that stigma, you know, when I tell somebody. Where was it? Just the other day I was somewhere and I don't want to say 'get embarrassed', but I still have that same feeling that comes over me... 'Oh she's in a band!'... 'Oh really? What kind of band are you in?'... 'Heavy Metal.' And they're like 'Well what instrument do you play?' Then it's like 'Well I sing.' Then it's like 'Ohhhh...' You get that thing like 'Oh chick singer - it's probably not that good.' That's just the kind of feedback you sometimes get. So I always kind of make sure and have a CD handy (laughs). Then it's like 'Oh that's you? That's a chick? Oh wow!' Then it's different. But there is still that little stigma there because you know, my voice is kind of different. It's not the typical female thing; it's definitely not operatic, so I have to let people know what it is I can do (laughs)."

Well it's good to be unique and have your own style.

"Yeah, it has its pros and cons, but you know it is what it is. It's the voice I've got, so (laughs), so make the most of it."

What made you want to sing Heavy Metal?

"I'd say Craig Goldy (DIO, ROUGH CUTT) had a lot to do with it. I've known him for a really long time and he was the one that just said 'You know what V? You need to start listening to this.' He turned me onto some Metal stuff and I was like 'Wow, this IS kinda cool!' First I was like 'Ah that's not my style.' Then I just grew to love it and then I started singing it, and I was like 'Wow, that suits me real well.' So he was very, very encouraging over the years for me to be doing this stuff."

What are some of your favourite Metal bands?

"Metal bands or music in general?"

Well let's say everything.

"Let's say in general because what I try to do is listen to a lot of different types of music. I love QUEEN and I'm a big RUSH fan, but I also like Tina Turner and Melissa Etheridge. I like Big Band stuff, Sarah Vaughn, Billy Holiday... a lot of different voices, because I want to keep things as fresh as I can within what it is that I do, so I try to listen to a lot of different stuff to keep the creative juices flowing."

It's good to have a wide variety.

"I need that. Some people can just do that but for me, it just helps me to broaden my spectrum a little bit."

So do you guys realistically ever hope to hit it big like a band like IRON MAIDEN?

"I think everybody hopes to hit it big. I am a very realistic person. I don't know if that's going to happen. I'd be extremely open to it if it did, but you know, we're just going to do the best we can and see what the universe has in store for us and do everything in my power to at least do the best that we can do. You can't predict that stuff. I'm having a good time; I'm getting a chance to go places and do things. I'm just really grateful, to be honest with you. So if there's something more down the road, I'm really open to it. I'd love to have that pay my bills. I would love not to have to stress it, I'm sure all of us would, but right now that is the state of things and we're just going to make it work the best way we can 'cause we love doing it."

What are your thoughts on the upcoming tour?

"Well, we're getting real excited 'cause we've got that Magic Circle Festival. So we're doing quite a few festival - one in Belgium (Alcatraz Metal Fest), three in Germany (Magic Circle, Rock Harz Open Air, Headbangers Open Air)... really excited about doing the opening spot for ALICE COOPER (in Osnabrück, Germany) - never done that. That's going to be awesome! So then we go out again in October and then again in December, so there are some dates I can't announce yet. We leave in July and we're gonna be gone for about four weeks. The next phase we're working on is trying to do some stuff in the States. We do have a show in the States in St. Paul, MN on June 28 called the Flight of the Valkryies festival, but other than that we don't have anything going on here, but I've got to make some inquiries and we've got someone that that's been kinda working on that." [FIN]