The Whipping Post presents...

Benevolence Interview - Added 10/23/05

A while back, Chris Corley of Benevolence sent me a 3-song promo so I could check out some of their new material.  The new stuff sounds improved over their older songs and promises to bash your skulls with brutality.  The band plays a ultra heavy brand of death metal with aggressive guitar playing, thunderous drumming, and low, guttural death vocals.  The three songs here are "The Suicide Pillars", "Never Stop Screaming", and "Reduced to Nothing".  Fans of bands like Crimson Thorn, Acoustic Torment, and Obituary should feel right at home when listening to this four piece from Texas.  Read along as I had a chance to talk to Chris about the band and their upcoming full-length. 

The Whipping Post: Give me a brief history of Benevolence for those who are not familiar with your band. Also, what is the current lineup of the band?

Chris Corley: Based out of Fort Worth, Texas, Benevolence started in the mid 90's as Exhumation {there were various line ups & names before then but this is the one the core of Benevolence came from}. We changed our name to Benevolence in '97. The earliest lineup was: Chris Corley - Lead Guitar, Brian Dias - Guitar, Craig Church - Bass, Marshall Cargill - Vocals, Jeff Coffman - Drums. In 98 we went into the studio as a 3 piece, Chris Corley - Drums, Brian Dias - Guitar & Vocals, Craig Church - Bass. Since then we had several lineup changes. The current lineup is: Chris Corley - Drums, Brian Dias - Vocals, Landon West - Guitar, Dave Armour - Guitar, Dave Kaplan - Bass.

TWP: So Chris, you sent me a 3-song promo a few weeks ago of some new songs that you guys had recorded. Are you using this disk to try to get some record label interest? And if so, have you had some good things to report?

CC: Well we were using it to get some label interest but have shifted gears a bit. We are taking some time to finish a few more songs & then we plan to record a full length shortly after that. We then plan to release it thru Bombworks (Records), create a new press kit & then shop to labels. We do have some friends in a few signed bands that really want to see us signed too, so that is always good.

TWP: So, what kind of progress have you guys made on writing songs for your upcoming album? When can we expect to see it completed?

CC: We are not progressing as fast as we did when we practiced @ the Asylum {the club I ran sound for} but still moving along pretty good. We have moved our practice location, work schedules have changed a bit, plus we cut back on practice from 3 times a week to 1 for a while due to gas prices. Also the shows we have been playing kinda cut into our writing, when the demo came out we got bombed with shows. It's still going alot though. We have some time now that we can work on things cause we took some time off from shows. We have one next week & then that is about it till December. It will be a full length & expect it out some time in '06.

TWP: The songs on the promo your sent are some very brutal death metal. Will these three songs be on the new album and will the rest of the music follow the same vein or can we expect any surprises?

CC: Yes they will be on the CD but re-recorded, so it will be a different version. We play some parts different or faster now that we have been playing them live for a while. Those are just rough demos. I would expect a few surprises, it wouldn't be a Benevolence CD without some surprises but expect them to be good ones, not of the wimping out variety or anything like that, just surprises.

TWP: You guys play a good deal of shows around the Dallas Fort Worth, TX. area. Are you starting to see any good sized following as a result of your many live performances?

CC: Yeah, we are picking up some fans & having some old ones return too. One of the local bands said there is a buzz about us around town. That's always cool to hear. We are just trying to rebuild the fan base we once had that was lost from the hiatus & the many times we had to take off due to looking for new members. Things are looking pretty good though. Several times I have walked into a store & had someone walk up to me & say something like "Benevolence!!!!!" or "Hey, your in Benevolence!" So I guess things are picking up a bit again.

TWP: What are some goals you hope to accomplish as a band in the next few years?

CC: Finish the CD, release it, play alot of live shows across the US, have a label pick us up from Bombworks, make a video, possibly release a DVD.

TWP: Any final comments?

CC: Thanks for the interview/ review. We greatly appreciate you the reader for taking the time to read this, it means alot. We hope you all check us out and like what your hear. We look forward to meeting ALL of you @ shows. We have a Forum, Guestbook, Street Team, & Ringtones available @ our site as well as other goodies. http://www.BenevolenceMetal.com
We also have a myspace account, come add us if you like us & chat with us, we love to hear from you. http://www.myspace.com/benevolencemetal

Thanks again,
-Chris