{"id":2116,"date":"2011-03-14T00:00:18","date_gmt":"2011-03-14T00:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=2116"},"modified":"2015-06-16T00:02:56","modified_gmt":"2015-06-16T00:02:56","slug":"feature-benedictum-03-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-benedictum-03-11\/","title":{"rendered":"BENEDICTUM – At The Gates Of Success? (March 2011) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

BENEDICTUM – At The Gates Of Success<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnthony Morgan<\/span>
\nMarch 2011<\/span><\/p>\n

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Benedictum (l-r): Mikey Pannone, Tony Diaz, Veronica Freeman, Chris Shrum
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San Diego, California-based heavy metal outfit Benedictum formed in 2005, the central members of which are vocalist Veronica Freeman and guitarist Pete Wells. The pair had been members of a band named Malady for several years, and stayed together to group together a new collective following its demise. Drummer Blackie Sanchez and keyboardist Chris Morgan completed Benedictum\u2019s inaugural line-up. \u201cWe decided we wanted try one more shot at really putting a little demo together and seeing what would happen out of it, like one last \u2018Let\u2019s do this one more time\u2019\u201d explains Veronica Freeman, vocalist and frontwoman for Benedictum. \u201cCraig Goldy had always said if there was something that I came up with that he really felt he could get behind… I mean, he\u2019d always been very encouraging but it was never just the right formula. And so finally when he heard the practice tapes that I had, he was like \u2018Ok, this is the one\u2019. He then put us in touch with Jeff Pilson (Foreigner \/ ex-Dokken \/ ex-Dio), and it went from there. Jeff took us on, and did our three-song demo.\u201d<\/p>\n

That three-track demo was cut at Pilson\u2019s studio named Pilsound in Lake Balboa, California, with Pilson additionally contributing bass. Erstwhile Warlock bassist Tommy Henriksen, meanwhile, shared mixing duties with the ex-Dokken bassist. Attracting the attention of several interested labels, Benedictum eventually announced the inking of a record contract with Locomotive Records on July 9th, 2005. Inaugural full-length Uncreation<\/em> arrived in January 2006. \u201cI look back on Uncreation<\/em> very fondly,\u201d the singer exclaims. \u201cEvery moment of that was very exciting because it was our first real album that we had ever done, so all of that was so new and the songwriting process was new. Everything was pretty raw and new, and one of those experiences you don\u2019t ever forget. You then go onto the next one, and you\u2019re all stressed out because of the first one (laughs). There\u2019s always that stress factor there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Californian native deems Jeff Pilson \u201ca member of the family.\u201d \u201cHe is extremely musical all the way around, so in working with him there\u2019s just a chemistry that we have as far as creating certain songs,\u201d she reckons. \u201cI\u2019ll bring something and he\u2019ll say \u2018You might wanna try this\u2019, and so a lot of that was going on with the first two albums and he\u2019s just a joy to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cover interpretations of two Dio-era Black Sabbath<\/a> tracks in the shape of \u2018Heaven And Hell\u2019 and \u2018The Mob Rules\u2019 were included on Uncreation<\/em>\u2019s track listing. \u201cThat was not the intent,\u201d Veronica stresses. \u201cWe already knew that we were going to do \u2018Heaven And Hell\u2019 and that that was gonna be part of the album, but then we were told that we had to do a bonus track at the last minute and so it was a matter of time and money. We hadn\u2019t planned on having that song on there, and we were told that it was only gonna be on there for a limited release. As you see though it didn\u2019t work out that way, so that\u2019s why there was two. There was only supposed to be one. Don\u2019t get me wrong; we love Dio. We had Jimmy Bain play on \u2018The Mob Rules\u2019 and it doesn\u2019t get any better than that \u2013 it was a real blast \u2013 but it wasn\u2019t planned for that to be a part of the album as far as the regular track listing goes. It was just gonna be on the special edition, but it\u2019s fine. It is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ronnie James Dio (Black Sabbath \/ Dio \/ Heaven And Hell \/ ex-Rainbow \/ Elf) sadly succumbed to stomach cancer on May 16th, 2010 at the age of 67. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it was true, honestly,\u201d the frontwoman reflects. \u201cWhen someone gave me a phone call and I heard about it, I just didn\u2019t believe it. When I then started getting more information about it, I was just floored because I had talked to Craig previously. I know that everything seemed like it was doing better, and then all of a sudden such a drastic turn was rather surprising and devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a shame that Ronnie passed Veronica, as you might\u2019ve possibly duetted with Ronnie in the future. \u201cThat was my plan; that was always my dream hon, it really was. It\u2019s just a shame it won\u2019t come true.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sophomore record Seasons Of Tragedy<\/em> was issued in Europe during January 2008, arriving in North America two months later in March. \u201cThat was also a little bit stressful because when the first one got good reviews, and then you feel like \u2018Ok\u2019,\u201d the vocalist admits. \u201cWhen Locomotive then took the option for a second album, we thought \u2018What do you do next?\u2019 I think for that one, we had learnt a lot from the first album about how we wanted to approach things and in particular the songwriting. With Uncreation<\/em> we had a reserve of music that we brought to Jeff which he listened to, and a lot of that stuff got hacked apart. Two songs became one and all that stuff, so that was a little more shocking because I had never had that particular scenario happen before. I was a lot more prepared for it, plus I learned the way he puts a song together. When we came in with Seasons Of Tragedy<\/em> what we brought to him was more complete, let\u2019s put it that way. The songs just got a little bit more embellishment. By the time we got the stuff to him it took a little longer to get everything going, but we kind of knew how we wanted the songs formatted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benedictum\u2019s relationship with Locomotive Music ceased to exist around that time. \u201cLocomotive doesn\u2019t really exist anymore,\u201d Veronica laughs. \u201cWe knew something was happening for awhile there after Seasons Of Tragedy<\/em> was released, so that was part of the reason why there was such a lapse between that album and this. All of a sudden, I didn\u2019t hear from them (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n

Was Benedictum stuck in legal limbo then? \u201cThankfully no. We were one of the fortunate ones because we had a two-album contract and we were offered at the time another one, but decided to wait to see what else was going on. We then realised that it didn\u2019t make any sense, because all of a sudden it just didn\u2019t exist anymore. We were very fortunate to be at a point where we could move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

November 2009\u2019s Ballads Of A Hangman<\/em> \u2013 the fourteenth studio album from German metal outfit Grave Digger \u2013 included a duet between the Benedictum frontwoman and Grave Digger vocalist Chris Boltendahl, entitled \u2018Lonely The Innocence Dies\u2019. \u201cI\u2019ve known Chris Boltendahl for a very long time; he was working with Locomotive when we first got signed,\u201d she reveals. \u201cHe and I have had a working relationship for quite some time. I was really honoured when he sent me an email \u2018You wanna do a duet?\u2019 I thought he was joking, but the rest is history. I really had a good time with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s definitely a rapport between you and Chris in the song Veronica. \u201cYeah \u2013 I\u2019m glad you noticed that. He\u2019s very responsible for a lot of the things that\u2019ve happened with Benedictum, so it was very much an honour to be on anything with a band that\u2019s had that kind of longevity and that many albums under their belt. It was really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Lonely The Innocence Dies\u2019 was a very different song for Ballads Of A Hangman<\/em>. \u201cYeah,\u201d the singer concurs. \u201cI was surprised when he was sending me the track. I assumed it was going to be something heavier and harder, so I\u2019m very glad that that song was the way it was. It had a little different vibe to it, which was really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

On July 6th, 2010, it was publicly announced that Benedictum had signed a record contract with Frontiers Music Srl. \u201cActually, that came about through a dear friend of mine from your neck of the woods; he\u2019s actually from Wales, and his name is Jeff Collins,\u201d Veronica discloses. \u201cI had asked him if he had had any contact with some labels that had a good reputation, and that we were looking for something new obviously. He put me in touch with the people at Frontiers, and it kind of just grew from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Issued in March, third full-length Dominion<\/em> is the first Benedictum album to be released under this agreement. \u201cObviously, it was quite a bit of time between Seasons Of Tragedy<\/em> and this one,\u201d the vocalist feels. \u201cWe had some line-up changes. I don\u2019t wanna say we took a different direction, because we really didn\u2019t; we were just building on the foundation of writing with new members that had different influences, so that\u2019s basically how that process went. With the other two we had more of an arsenal of material, and this time we worked a little harder at coming up with stuff that I felt really comfortable with. It took a little bit longer, but there you have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The departed Benedictum members in question are drummer Paul Courtois and bassist Jesse Wright. \u201cJesse had some family problems; he had some ailments in his family, so he had to take care of that,\u201d Veronica divulges. \u201cWith Paul, I\u2019m still in touch with him; he ended up moving to Las Vegas for awhile, and it just didn\u2019t work out to keep the practising schedule going. He got a new job and had to move. There were just life changes involved, and no big drama or anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Bassist Chris Shrum and drummer Mikey Pannone filled their positions. \u201cActually, we found Chris and Mikey through friends of friends,\u201d the frontwoman informs. \u201cPete had heard Chris before because Chris and Paul had worked together at one time, and then Chris had worked with Mikey. It all kind of worked out real well, so one person kind of led to the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Paul\u2019s work, but I think with Mikey and the combination of Mikey and Chris, it\u2019s definitely a lot I\u2019d say more explosive (laughs). It was a little bit of a challenge at first writing with Mikey and stuff because of where he comes from, and he\u2019s just got such an aggressive style. It\u2019s really great though, and it made me learn a lot as well \u2013 it worked out really well. The only problem is logistics; half of us are in Phoenix, and the other half of us are in San Diego. We make it work though.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recording sessions took place at Area 52 in Scottsdale, Arizona with producer Ryan Greene (Megadeth<\/a> \/ Lita Ford \/ NOFX). \u201cThere were a couple of different reasons we decided to work with Ryan,\u201d Veronica enlightens. \u201cWe thought \u2018Well, we have a new line-up so maybe it\u2019d be time to also try something a little different.\u2019 I had talked to Jeff Pilson because he\u2019s like a member of the family as I\u2019ve said in the past, and he has so many obligations himself being with Foreigner and touring with them. It worked out well that Ryan was able to take us on.<\/p>\n

\u201cRyan is very driven, and also made us look at things. He\u2019s a drummer himself as well, so he\u2019s musical too but comes from a different angle. I mean, him and Jeff are two different people. I think working with Ryan was especially a real treat for the rhythm section with Ryan being a drummer, and they learnt a lot too. I think Pete had a chance to discover a few other things with his own craft as well, and with Jeff he brings out a lot of stuff with me that I may not normally do, like a softer side sometimes. That\u2019s kinda cool, to have people draw out different aspects of yourself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Ryan wanted to really go with a lot more of a modern sound, and that\u2019s fine because I think a band should always grow and evolve. I wanted to make sure we still kept the integrity of what Benedictum is though; that\u2019s the halfway-point we had to come to, and it worked out really well. When I hear it now definitely you can tell it\u2019s Benedictum, but I think it also has a little different feel to it. It\u2019s a lot more aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the past, Benedictum had exclusively recorded with Jeff Pilson. \u201cIn some ways it was exactly the same working with Ryan, because I made a point of meeting Ryan personally before we got started,\u201d the singer believes. \u201cI wanted to make sure that we clicked on a certain level other than just the music, and after having met him and having spent some time with him it was obvious that this was gonna work out well. Ryan has a different approach, so it took a little while to get used to. He\u2019s very, very straightforward (laughs). He tells you if something isn\u2019t working out, but he is open to suggestions and stuff. I think he had a very clear vision of where he wanted to take Benedictum, so we had to kinda make sure we were seeing eye-to-eye on that. He definitely brought a fresh and little different perspective to things though. He\u2019s great to work with, and all of us really stepped up our game working with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veronica views Dominion<\/em> as a \u201cproduct of evolution.\u201d \u201cYou have to look at the fact that we had a different producer and a different rhythm section,\u201d she emphasizes. \u201cWith all these things put together, that\u2019s what we came up with. I think it\u2019s just a natural thing. I don\u2019t know what the next one\u2019s gonna sound like \u2013 it\u2019s just the way that it evolved.\u201d<\/p>\n

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And with all that being said, the Benedictum vocalist refuses to be drawn on whether Dominion<\/em> is the strongest of the assortment\u2019s albums. \u201cI think that just depends on one\u2019s perspective,\u201d she concludes. \u201cI think everybody has a little different opinion on it. It\u2019s the newest one (laughs) Whether it\u2019s the strongest one? I really like it, and I like where it\u2019s going. I have my favourites on both of the other albums as well though, so I guess that\u2019s for other people to decide.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom my perspective, it\u2019s a mixture of things. Some of the songs on there I think are stronger but there\u2019s some what I call Benedictum classics too, so I have mixed emotions about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veronica adopted a specific approach in cutting vocals for Dominion<\/em>, but nothing that was premeditated. \u201cI think it was just a reflection of where I was at the time, and that was a little bit frustrated and a little bit really wanting to get out there,\u201d she surmises. \u201cIt had been a while since we had done anything, so I think I had a lot of built-up stuff. I just wanted to really bring it with as much power as I could and then also show some other aspects of my voice too, like if you listen to \u2018Loud Silence\u2019 or if you listen to the acoustic track \u2013 there\u2019s other things like the beginning of \u2018Dark Heart\u2019. I just do some different things with my voice \u2013 it doesn\u2019t have to be aggressive all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ronnie James Dio informs the frontwoman\u2019s vocals of course, but he isn\u2019t her only influence. \u201cTina Turner influences me as well,\u201d she acknowledges. \u201cI have a very eclectic taste in music, so I like everyone from Rob Halford and all the metal singers but I also like big band music. I like to listen to a lot of different things because I draw different energies from them, so it keeps things fresh in my head (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have any female metal influences Veronica, like Doro Pesch (Doro<\/a> \/ ex-Warlock) and all those singers? \u201cOf course,\u201d she replies. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s all in there. Leather Leone from Chastain was out doing that kind of stuff for a long time, and I have the pleasure of speaking with her. I think she\u2019s gonna be doing a little comeback thing, so that\u2019s pretty cool. And even Pat Benatar. There\u2019s so many strong voices out there, like Melissa Etheridge. There\u2019s so much good music out there that I would say it\u2019s a product of all kinds of influences \u2013 there wasn\u2019t just one. I\u2019d say the main one obviously would be Dio for me, because when I heard his voice for the first time I thought \u2018I wanna do this.\u2019 I think that was a driving force for me, and then I branched out and listened to other things. That was how I developed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within the metal sphere, women are mainly portrayed as sex objects. \u201cThat\u2019s in all kinds of media though, and it\u2019s always been that way,\u201d the singer clarifies. \u201cI don\u2019t say that it\u2019s good or that it\u2019s bad. It is what it is, but as far as women in rock and metal there were times when that was much more of a novelty than it is now. There\u2019s so many female-fronted bands each with their own style, and with their own thing to bring to the table. You mentioned Doro earlier; I think I learned more about performing by watching her as far as the physical aspect of it, how to take care of yourself, how to get out there and really push yourself out into the audience. She\u2019s beautiful and she\u2019s all those things. The media\u2019s gonna do what it\u2019s gonna do, so as long as you can bring it it\u2019s all good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Would you say that your type of female vocals aren\u2019t common in the metal domain? A lot of female singers seem to be more pop or opera-oriented. \u201cI know. I was just thinking about that earlier today, and I kind of have to chuckle to myself because I feel sometimes like I don\u2019t quite fit, like I have this little spot in the middle somewhere. I don\u2019t do the opera thing, because that\u2019s not my style. It\u2019s all good but that\u2019s just not me, and I don\u2019t do the complete growling thing either. I just try to bring that power and aggression that I have in my voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you listen to Veronica\u2019s vocal tracks, it\u2019s evident she enjoys rock music. With many other female vocalists though, they sonically resemble pop vocalists singing over a metal tune. \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d she recognises. \u201cI don\u2019t disagree with you in some cases, but it is what it is. Like I said, everybody\u2019s got something cool to bring to the table (laughs). I just do what I do and Benedictum does what Benedictum does, and I hope that we get a chance to keep on doing it and growing, and seeing how everything all works out. It\u2019s interesting to see how a song starts out, and then how it ends up. I have some of the old practice stuff and I think to myself \u2018Wow, that turned out to be this song\u2019, so the developmental process of everything is interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Rudy Sarzo (ex-Ozzy Osbourne \/ Dio \/ Quiet Riot \/ ex-Whitesnake) guests on the composition \u2018Bang\u2019, while Jeff Pilson duets with the Benedictum frontwoman on bonus track \u2018Sanctuary\u2019. \u201cActually, a friend of mine named Razor from a band called Metal Knights was able to put me in touch with Rudy,\u201d she tells. \u201cOf course Craig was able to step up too and so was Jeff. I made sure I did have a chance to work with Jeff on the acoustic songs when he had some time, so that\u2019s \u2018Sanctuary\u2019 the bonus track. It\u2019s just a different style of approach, but it comes out really well. It was just a lot of fun having everybody and being able to be a part of it. <\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t get a chance to actually work with Rudy in the studio; I had a chance to talk to him, which is the magic of technology nowadays. With Craig it was different; he came out here and actually stayed with us, which was good, to see him again. With Rudy, we sent him over the files and I talked to him on the phone. He liked what we were doing and agreed to do it, so that really made me feel great. He was very gracious. I know how busy his schedule is, so that was really cool he was able to do that. With Jeff I had a chance to go out to his studio and actually work with him and see him again too, so that worked out really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guitarist Craig Goldy (Dio \/ ex-Rough Cutt \/ ex-Giuffria) performs the second solo on the tune \u2018Epsilon\u2019. \u201cHe\u2019s wonderful,\u201d Veronica confesses. \u201cHe\u2019s one of my dearest friends, and although it\u2019s one of those friendships where you don\u2019t always get a chance to see each other as often as you\u2019d like, we never seem to miss a beat. I\u2019m really proud of him and love him very much, and he\u2019s always been there for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

As alluded to throughout this article, Benedictum are massive Ronnie James Dio fans. However, nothing which features on Dominion<\/em> was specifically inspired by his passing. \u201cI think all of us… I\u2019ll speak for myself: all of my work really reflects a huge influence from Ronnie James Dio,\u201d the singer affirms. \u201cIt\u2019s as though I felt the need to do something different upon his passing, and because he\u2019s already been such a part of my life. So many people that I know \u2013 musicians and non-musicians \u2013 he\u2019s affected in one way or another through his music, so I guess everything that we do is a testimony to all the power and great energy he brought to this music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whenever Veronica pens lyrics, those lyrics are usually \u201ca reflection of some aspect\u201d of her life or herself. \u201cThe lyrics are about something I\u2019m going through either physically, spiritually or emotionally,\u201d she confides. \u201cI think a lot of the theme on this album was a lot of pent-up anger or frustration, but the will to just keep on going. You know what I mean?\u201d <\/p>\n

Yeah, especially in these times with the recession and everything. \u201cExactly. I have my own business, and it\u2019s difficult sometimes. I\u2019m very, very grateful because there are a lot of people who aren\u2019t doing so well; it gets a little tough sometimes, but I\u2019m really grateful for what I have. I have a motorcycle business; we sell motorcycle accessories, and we ship internationally and so on. It\u2019s called StreetFighters Inc. (www.streetfightersinc.com). And also Alien Helmets, we sell motorcycle helmets too. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve been doing for the past few years, importing most of the stuff from Germany and some of the stuff from the UK, and trying to bring the Fighter scene to the US as well. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult juggling my business and musical career. It\u2019s like a hurry up and wait thing; there\u2019ll usually be a flurry of things that need to get done for the band and that throws everything into turmoil, and then it\u2019s back to business. With a home-based business though and a business that you have to run on your own, it\u2019s not like we have a store so there\u2019s no-one to cover. You just have to make it work; you come back and you have stuff piled up, but you make it work. It does allow me a lot of flexibility as well, so when things need to get done or I need to go somewhere I can do just that. It\u2019s a double-edged sword.\u201d<\/p>\n

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While StreetFighters Inc. covers the Benedictum vocalist\u2019s financial bills, Benedictum \u2013 though a wonderful thing \u2013 doesn\u2019t pay the bills so much. \u201cThat\u2019s extremely correct,\u201d she confirms. \u201cI would love for that to be different, but all of us are doing it more for the passion and love of the music. Of course we would love it to be financially viable, but yeah, you\u2019re absolutely right; my business is the thing that\u2019s paying my bills at this time (laughs). It\u2019s rough out there, so I don\u2019t want anyone getting the wrong idea. It\u2019s hard, and the music industry was hit hard as well. So yeah, you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naturally, financial restraints hamper Benedictum\u2019s potential to tour Europe and other destinations outside of North America. \u201cI think it\u2019s hampering a lot of bands\u2019 potential to do a lot of things,\u201d Veronica deduces. \u201cDefinitely the cost of getting a band from the US to Europe is sometimes prohibitive, and in a rough economy it\u2019s gonna be a little bit more difficult. You\u2019ll see a lot of clubs out here doing the pay-to-play thing but it\u2019s difficult getting the numbers in, so we\u2019re hoping that we can flip that paradigm and change things with this album, and get out and support it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Live performances are where revenue mainly comes from nowadays, as opposed to album sales. \u201cIt is,\u201d the frontwoman affirms. \u201cBasically, you\u2019re seeing a shift. You\u2019ll see the CDs, but a lot of people are making their money from live shows and mostly from merchandise. That\u2019s the only way to see that. It\u2019s the thing that\u2019s actually gonna bring some income in because CD sales are not what they used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Illegal downloading has been attributed as a possible cause of declining sales. \u201cThe music industry has changed; it changed a little while ago, and it will never go back to being what it was,\u201d Veronica states. \u201cIt may morph into something else \u2013 who knows where it\u2019s going to go? It\u2019s at that stage of flux though where it\u2019s changed from \u2018There\u2019s the illegal downloading\u2019 to \u2018There\u2019s the legal downloading\u2019, so now there\u2019s income revenues from legal downloading, but it\u2019s hard to stop people from doing the illegal stuff. It has changed things drastically. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that if I purchase something, that\u2019s still a sale. It doesn\u2019t matter which vehicle I used to make that purchase, but if I\u2019m taking something illegally then that\u2019s a different scenario altogether.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had some people email me \u2013 and I appreciate their honesty \u2013 saying \u2018I illegally downloaded your album, but I absolutely love it. Can I buy a T-shirt (laughs)? There\u2019s a bright side to everything, so you\u2019ve gotta make the most of it. There\u2019s a lot of music out there now that\u2019s getting heard that wouldn\u2019t have gotten heard before, and that\u2019s the upside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominion<\/em> was released on February 18th, 2011 in Europe and on March 8th in North America, all through Frontiers Music Srl.<\/p>\n

Interview published in March 2011.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BENEDICTUM – At The Gates Of Success Anthony Morgan March 2011 Benedictum (l-r): Mikey Pannone, Tony Diaz, Veronica Freeman, Chris Shrum and Pete Wells San Diego, California-based heavy metal outfit Benedictum formed in 2005, the central members of which are vocalist Veronica Freeman and guitarist Pete Wells. The pair had been members of a band […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-benedictum","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2116"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2121,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2116\/revisions\/2121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}