BENEDICTUM's VERONICA FREEMAN Is 'Heavy Metal's New First Lady'
George Varga of the San Diego Union-Tribune has issued the following report:
With ferocious-voiced lead singer Veronica Freeman at the fore, the San Diego heavy-metal band BENEDICTUM is starting to achieve a high profile in Europe while remaining all but unknown in its hometown.
Despite having played just one local show to date (a December gig at Brick by Brick), the one-woman, four-man group has already been booked to do a European tour in June. It begins June 4 in Milan, Italy, where BENEDICTUM will open for GUNS N' ROSES, KORN, ALICE IN CHAINS and the DEFTONES on the closing night of this year's "Gods of Metal" festival. The band currently has no local shows booked. However, its rising fortunes abroad prompted its frontwoman to leave her job at Ace Hardware of San Diego, effective tomorrow.
"This music hasn't died out in Europe like it has here," said Freeman, who has never toured before. "Our getting on the 'Gods of Metal' bill had a lot to do with us getting so much good press over there."
Released in March on the Madrid-based Locomotive label, BENEDICTUM's impressive debut album, "Uncreation", has earned raves abroad. Kerrang!, England's top [weekly] metal magazine, gave it a four-star review and called BENEDICTUM "an awesome new band with a formidable figurehead," while saying of Freeman: "Heavy metal has a new first lady."
Her fans also include former San Diegan Craig Goldy, one of her mentors and the lead guitarist in DIO. That 24-year-old band is led by former RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH singer Ronnie James Dio, whom Freeman cites as one of her biggest vocal influences.
"Veronica's always been really impressive," said Goldy, who helped BENEDICTUM get its record deal. "Ronnie has always been my favorite singer, and Veronica can sound like him - and like herself. She's amazing! And everyone in the group is so talented. It's been a long time since a band like this came out of San Diego."
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