Veronica “The V” Freeman‘s forthcoming debut studio album, NOW OR NEVER, has a new release date of July 24th, 2015, via Frontiers Music srl. In my Metal opinion, Veronica Freeman is a powerful vocalist within the Hard Rock and Metal Universe. Veronica can sing on both the melodic and potent side of the tracks.
As a vocalist for Arizona’s superb Metal band Benedictum, Veronica Freeman has earned the worldwide praise of both fans and press; now it’s time for fans both old and new to be blown away by the diverse and convincing vocals that she delivers on her debut solo album: The V – Now Or Never. I’ve been blown away by The V!
Below, listen to and enjoy three new songs from The V, all featured on her new album Now Or Never. Excellent songs, they are. Metal Be Thy Name. – Stone
February 14, 2014 Cincinnati, Ohio – The Warriors of Metal, Inc. non-profit organization is honored to welcome back Arizona’s female-fronted Heavy Metal act BENEDICTUM, along with their special guest, U.S. female Metal matriarch LEATHER LEONE (CHASTAIN) for her exclusive Midwest metalfest performance at the 7th annual Warriors Of Metal Festival.
Benedictum vocalist, Veronica “The V” Freeman states: “We are so damned excited to play at the Warriors Of Metal Fest VII this year. It was a blast for me to be part of the crowd and announce a few bands last year as co-host of the event and be a part of that metal community, but it will be even better to actually play. Now, top that off with the fact that we will be bringing with us the talented and crazy Leather Leone of Chastain to jam some old and new Chastain tunes! I encourage everyone to come out and support Metal and have a kick ass time with us and all the great bands performing. We love ya! The V, Benedictum”
Leather Leone also comments: “I am stoked, not only to be getting much wanted stage time, but to be able to share it with Columbus, Ohio, not to mention with my friend, the powerhouse, Miss V herself! I will be ready; I will metal your brains out!”
The official video for BENEDICTUM’s Scream, taken from their 2013 Frontier Records release Obey, is now playing below:
Bands confirmed for Pre-Fest Showcase on Thursday, June 26 at O’Sheckeys Live Bar & Grill include: ETERNAL LEGACY (headliner) AUTOMATON, DEADIRON, LOWER 13, DETHRATS, GRAVE ROBBER, SPLIT THE ABYSS and WINTERHYMN.
Warriors Of Metal Fest VII confirmed bands thus far for the main Fest on Friday, June 27 & Saturday June 28 include: ARMORY, A SOUND OF THUNDER, A TORTURED SOUL, BENEDICTUM w/ special guest LEATHER LEONE, BEYOND FALLEN, BURNING SHADOWS, CELLADOR, CRUSADER, FLESH ENGINE, LORDS OF THE TRIDENT, MITHRIDIUM, RESISTANCE, RESTLESS BREED, and SHALLOW GROUND.
Keep up-to-date with all of the developments such as band announcements and ticket information for next year’s show through the Warrior’s of Metal Fest’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/warriorsofmetal
Heavy Metal gets a needed shot in the arm with the long-awaited and much-anticipated new album from BENEDICTUM’sOBEY due out for release on Frontiers Records on November 29th in Europe and December 3rd in North America. With a sound that nods to the legends of Metal such as early Rainbow, the stylings of Savatage, Warrior, Rough Cutt, and Pyschotic Waltz, along with shades of Black Sabbath; Benedictum unleashes ‘OBEY’ that will surely bring pleasure to the Gods of Heavy Metal and their legions of fans around the world!
Led by the sultry and powerful vocal gymnastics of lead singer VeronicaFreeman, whose voice has been praised on the television show, That Metal Show, on VH1 among others; BENEDICTUM displays a plethora of aggressive riffs, fierce rhythms, and powerful melodies full of delicate textures that grow spikes with shredding leads to converge at the crossroads of tradition and innovation.
The rise of BENEDICTUM began when the band caught the ear and attention of DIO guitarist Craig Goldy, who in turn had his friend Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Dio, Foreigner) check them out. With the groups raw power and pure potential just beginning to surface, Pilson then produced and recorded Benedictum’s debut album ‘UNCREATION’ in 2005. The band garnered rave reviews and won over enthusiastic fist-pumping fans rapidly. Their second album ‘SEASONS OF TRAGEDY’ released in 2008 to more undeniable Metal love from around the world. All of this led to BENEDICTUM being signed to a contract with FRONTIERS RECORDS and further upping the ante in the studio.
Check Out The BENEDICTUM OBEY EPK (Official) Below!
The band and Grammy Award winning producer Ryan Greene (Megadeth, F5, NOFX) joined forces for 2011’s ‘DOMINION’ and BENEDICTUM had arrived. The band jumped onto the world stage playing such events as Wacken Open Air Festival, Doro’s Warrior Soul Tour, HeadBangers Open Air and more. The CD was also a pick of the week by Don Jamison on That Metal Show.
Pete Wells – Founding Member/Guitarist
BENEDICTUM went through some personnel changes and challenges, but have landed on the soles of The V’s high-heeled boots to record their highly anticipated fourth album ‘OBEY’. Joining founding members Veronica Freeman and Pete Wells are Rikard Stjernquist (Jag Panzer) on drums and Aric Avina (Tynator) on bass. There is an unmistakable swell of excitement building in chat rooms and fan pages online not only for the album, but to also have BENEDICTUM perform at a venue near them soon.
Obey track-listing includes: Dream Of The Banshee; Fractured; Obey; Fighting For My Life; Scream; Evil That We Do; Crossing Over; Cry; Thornz; Die To Love You; Apex Nation; Retrograde
To the world, BENEDICTUM merely says: bow and OBEY!
It is important that the band informs you of two duets on the album; one with A Sound Of Thunder vocalist Nina Osegueda on ‘Thornz’ and the other with the incomparable Tony Martin (Black Sabbath) on the song ‘Cry’. The band is humbled and appreciative!
Benedictum are proud to announce their continued collaboration with Jeff Pilson on the development of their next release via Frontiers Records!!!!
The result will bring back the magic Benedictum and Jeff Pilson captured during their earlier releases from “Seasons of Tragedy” and their 2006 debut “Uncreation”.
This year and 2013 will be an exciting year for Benedictum with their recent addition of new drummer Rikard Stjernquist known for his exceptional talent in Jag Panzer for 25 years.
Jeff Pilson known for his extensive list of musicianship with legendary acts Dokken and Dio, while currently with Foreginer and producer for Adler’s Appetite.
Jeff Pilson states: “I’m very excited about producing the new Benedictum record. I’m very passionate about their music and love working with the band. V’s vocals, Pete’s guitars, the band’s energy and the songs are all something that are very close to my heart. This record will be their crowning achievement- of that I have no doubts!”
Benedictum was formed in 2005. After being noticed by Craig Goldy (Dio, Guiffria, Budgie) the wheels were set in motion and eventually lead to their debut CD “Uncreation”.
Coming soon will be more exciting news regarding their next release!!!!!!
Benedictumis Veronica Freeman (lead vocals), Pete Wells (lead guitar), Chris Shrum (bass) and Rikard Stjernquist (drums/percussion).
Benedictum discography includes “Uncreation”, “Seasons of Tragedy”, and “Dominion”.
Benedictum andThe diabolical mistress “V” Veronica Freeman are proud to enlist new drummer Rikard Stjernquist to the team!
Rikard Stjernquist started his career with Stockholm based Bronze Puppet. Rikard brings a multitude of talent from his longevity as the drummer for Power Metal legends Jag Panzer of 25 years and nine records to his studio production capabilities. Rikard will surely assist the team in writing new material for their next release with Frontiers Records worldwide.
Rikard Stjernquist states “I have been very fortunate in my long career to have recorded and performed with some exceptional people / musicians, and Benedictum is no exception. I’m very excited about the future with Benedictum and having the opportunity to perform for their amazing fans all over the world. Thank you Veronica Freeman, Pete Wells, and ChrisShrum for this amazing opportunity”
Benedictum played select US dates for the East Coast in late November 2011 in support of their current release “Dominion” out now on Frontiers Records. Everyone who attended the select dates got a a taste of what the European market already knew.
This year and 2013 will prove to be an exciting year for Benedictum with much more activity in the worldwide.
Coming soon will be more exciting news regarding their next release!
Benedictum is Veronica Freeman (lead vocals), Pete Wells (lead guitar), Chris Shrum (bass) and Rikard Stjernquist (drums/percussion).
Benedictum discography includes “Uncreation”, “Seasons of Tragedy” and “Dominion”.
Warriors Of Metal Festival V Open Air 2012 – Press Release:
We are very excited to announce that the Oklahoma City Power / Speed Metal band FORTE’ have officially confirmed their participation in this year’s Warriors Of Metal Fest V Open Air. FORTE’ released 4 great albums from 1992 to 1999 while signed to Germany’s Massacre Records and self released their Limited Edition “Vae Solis” EP in Sept. 2011! They’ll release their 5th full length album in early 2012.
The incredible Rev Jones who plays Bass for STEELHEART and MSG also plays Bass in FORTE’ and he’s something to behold LIVE! We thank FORTE’ for giving us the privilege to showcase them at our 5th year anniversary Metalfest in 2012!
We are also very happy to report that our American Metal Goddess, Veronica Freeman and our friends in BENEDICTUM have confirmed their return to the Warriors Of Metal Fest stage for a repeat performance in 2012, after being the very first female fronted Metal band that graced our stage in 2011.
The return of Benedictum to WOM Fest V Open Air was made possible in large part due to the generous fan sponsorships of Kent & Kathy Wittwer and DJ Valkyrie Lawson (of Hard Rock Radio Live) who are all WOM Fest fans and saw Benedictum in action this past year at WOM Fest IV Open Air and made this great band only the 3rd one to make a return to our stage besides Cleveland’s Vindicator & Brazil’s Machinage. We welcome Benedictum back to our Metal family in 2012!
Queens, New York’s Epic Metal band THE LAST ALLIANCE was the first band to confirm their participation in our special 5th year Anniversary celebration of True Metal in 2012. The Last Alliance self-produced their debut album “Out Of The Ashes” and are now in the process of recording their sophomore full length saga. It can easily be said that The Last Alliance writes songs that one would expect to hear on an Iced Earth or a Blind Guardian album so we are very excited to showcase this highly talented group of musicians at our festival this year.
The Warriors Of Metal Fest V Open Air will take place on June 29th & 30th, 2012 at the Frontier Ranch, 8836 York Road, Pataskala, Ohio which is just a 20 minute drive East of the capital city of Columbus, Ohio. Tickets for this event are now on sale at the Fest website:
Weekend passes for adults (17 and up) are just $50 and Weekend 4-Packs for adults (groups of 4 people) are only $40 per person. Adult single day tickets are $30 for each day and $25 per person in a 4-Pack for a single day ticket. Teenager tickets (11-16) are only $15 for the whole weekend, Friday only or Saturday only. Kids under 11 get in for Free. Camping is free and ticket buyers can also pre-order their Fest T-shirts at the time of their ticket purchase.
Here are two very current news items on America’s very own… Benedictum. If you haven’t listened to Benedictum’s recent Frontiers Records release Dominion, you are missing out on getting your Metal lovin’ ass kicked! Trust me… Benedictum’s Dominion has kicked myMetal lovin’ass. Metal be thy name.
Vote For Benedictum At Unleash The Furies:
Benedictum – What better way to show your allegiance to the Veronica-led Benedictum than to vote for the band in the “Band of the Month – January 2012” contest over at Unleash The Furies? UTF is a blog dedicated to Female -Fronted Metal You Should Know.
U.S. Heavy Metal powerhouse BENEDICTUM is pleased to announce that they will take part in the Pathfinder MetalFest III, which will be held in Marietta, GA on Nov. 11th & 12th. This annual indoor American Music Festival focuses on Traditional and Melodic Heavy Metal with an emphasis on quality over quantity in an intimate atmosphere. BENEDICTUM are scheduled to perform on Friday, November 11th. The event will again be offering a limited number of VIP passes to include a laminate, a program bag with sponsored cds and swag, early entry for both nights of the event and food & drink specials at the attached Sidelines Sports Grille.
The VIP passes have sold out each year of the fest. Only 250 general admission tickets will be available each night along with 50 VIP passes that cover both nights. All Tickets and VIP badges go on sale through a PayPal link on the Facebook Event Page starting July 30th.
BENEDICTUM – U.S. Heavy Metal powerhouse BENEDICTUM continues to kick the shit out of the North American festival circuit as the band travels down to Tijuana for EXPO ROCK TIJUANA 2011, which runs from July 1st to July 3rd. BENEDICTUM will serve as headliners for day two (Saturday, July 2nd) of the festival.
A video advertisement for the event (in Spanish) is below:
(Source: ClawHammer PR)
* For more info on BENEDICTUM, click on the links below:
U.S. Heavy Metal powerhouse BENEDICTUM will take the stage on Saturday, June 18th at the Warriors of Metal Open Air Festival IV. The two-day (June 17-18) festival will be held at the Frontier Ranch in Kirksville, OH (about 30 miles east of Columbus) and also features Vindicator, Aska, Widow, Sacred Dawn, Shock Paris and many others.
U.S. Heavy Metal powerhouse BENEDICTUM has made “Bang” available for streaming at Stereo Killer.com/Benedictum. Featuring Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot) on bass, “Bang!” is a quintessential anthem of defiance and one hell of a grooving slam. Vocalist VeronicaFreeman calls it “my non-Prom song for those of us who didn’t make the cut… or even those who did but were totally misunderstood. It’s time to rise and not let them define us!” Just one of many monster cuts from BENEDICTUM’s third effort Dominion, “Bang” epitomizes what Heavy Metal is supposed to be (but rarely is these days): Loud, proud, and impossible to forget!
(Source: ClawHammer PR)
* For more info on BENEDICTUM, click on the links below:
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