Razorcake: Split 7" w/ Worn In Red
Beee-yootifully carved, spastic shit that harkens back to the days of 1993 or so, and I don’t mean that as a burn. Both bands are running the screamo angle with such perfection, this could’ve come out on Gravity fifteen years ago and no one would’ve been the wiser—except there’s a full-color cover here and no poorly typed insert with, I don’t know, drawings of stars all over it. Benard reminds me of Staircase, which is probably a fairly obscure reference in these parts, but that’s what I’m hearing. Worn In Red’s song has no less than five screamo-epic sections in it and the vocalist could be a dead ringer for Mike Carter from Glass And Ashes, except this guy’s slightly more decipherable. No information available whatsoever besides song titles, which is too bad, as it’d be nice to hear what these dudes are yelping about. Apparently, the label’s folded since putting this record out; if you’re into the genre and you come across this one in a bin somewhere, grab it up—both bands know exactly what they’re doing.


Rock and Roll and Meandering Nonsense: Split 7" w/ Worn In Red
If one word could describe this 7", it would be visceral. Nothing seems calculated or planned. Benard blasts through two songs of dissonance, frantic rhythms and pure passion in just under five and a half minutes. In that short time, they leave everything out there, their hearts on their post-hardcore sleeves.

Saying that Worn in Red is less intense than Benard is kind of like saying the Hiroshima blast was less intense than the Bravo explosion. Both will obliterate you. Still, Worn in Red reins it in ever so slightly, resulting in something a bit more fluid, ebbing and flowing (and then hitting you over the head).

The result is a great split with two bands that are on the same page, but perhaps a different paragraph. Both have full-throttle energy with Benard hitting a bit harder and Worn in Red a bit more dynamically.
online at: http://rnrnonsense.toomanyvoices.com/2009/01/review-benardworn-in-red-split-7.html


Late Night Wallflower: Split 7" w/ Worn In Red
I got this tasty piece of vinyl in the mail a few days ago; a thoroughly solid 7-inch split by two fantastic bands, Benard and Worn In Red. Both bands succeed at being pure unadulterated fury in musical form. It’s spastic, frantic, raw, and for lack of a better term, very “old school.” Revelation and Dischord Records comparisons come to mind, but that comparison doesn’t do this split justice. The two songs by Atlanta, Georgia’s Benard are just fast, hard and hella aggro, while Virginia’s Worn In Red’s one contribution is somewhat epic, but without sacrificing any sort of immediate energy.
online at: http://www.latenightwallflower.com/site/2008/10/07/7-inch-corner-benardworn-in-red/


Can You See The Sunset: Split 7" w/ Worn In Red
Here’s another split 7” review for y’all (complete with awesome bird-themed artwork). It makes me miss the days when I got really excited for new splits knowing that two is always better than one. Anyhow, Atlanta, Georgia’s Benard serves up two songs on their side and doesn’t disappoint. Both “Medieval Knievel” and “A Prostitute That Caters Exclusively To Clowns” are noisy balls-to-the-wall post-hardcore songs that remind me of spastic early Frodus meets Gravity Records screamo kinda stuff maybe? Either way, these two tracks are causticly delicious with vocals that sound desperate in their brevity. On the flip side, Virginia’s Worn In Red proves that one epic song can work as well as two blistering tracks. “Vital Joys” is a bit slower than Benard’s contributions but no less menacing. Worn In Red employs the old build-up-and-release approach to their slowly searing screamo. You know, brooding and moody and sounds like it could be on verge of exploding at least handful of times. If you want comparisons, maybe something like Glass And Ashes meets Portraits Of Past.
online at: http://www.canyouseethesunset.com/article/review-benard-worn-in-red-split-7


Southeast Performer: S/T CD
"It was nearly a decade ago when noisecore threatened to break into the mainstream rock world on the strength of definitive releases from artists like Quicksand and Drive Like Jehu. The intense heaviness, emotional ablution and discordant noises of this era echo in Benard's debut album, which alternately rages and simmers with an intensity not heard since the glory days of Refused and At The Drive-in. Armed with non-sequitur song titles, math-rock tempo changes and blinding musical intensity, Benard crackles with the level of energy required to revive a long-latent scene.

Benard formed from the wreckage of two Marietta, Georgia-area bands: metalcore merchants Stranger By Day and indie rockers Left To Rust. In that light, it is not a surprise that their sound incorporates elements of both styles; metalcore's abrasive, dense guitars and whiplash tempo changes combine with the low-tech production approach and avant-garde predilections often associated with college rock. Benard synthesizes these divergent references into a hyper-aggressive, passionate and volatile sound that is reminiscent of In/Casino/Out-era ATDI. Benard is a raw, often reckless disc, whose vulgar presentation might be a negative in some other context. However, the murky, indistinct mix and occasional rhythmic missteps on Benard serve to underscore the urgency of the music and the conviction of the un-credited players. The opening track, "Actually, My Dad Was a Motorcross Champion," starts with the chaotic tempo and intricate rhythms of a somewhat looser Dillinger Escape Plan. The vocals come across as Cedric Bixler-esque, although deeper and more powerful. The rhythm section's anarchic beats and white-knuckled tempo changes sound as though they could fall apart at any time. All the while, the snarling, gnashing guitar tracks are locked in combat with the vocals for space in a mix intentionally designed to put them at odds. Other cryptically-titled songs like "Some Call It Magic, I Call It Sean Connery" and "Stand up and Take the Sinnage" follow, showcasing similar aural ferocity.

Benard's self-titled debut is not an easy listen. This noisy, chaotic recording, by all conventional wisdom, shouldn't sound good at all. Therefore, it is a testament to the members of Benard that it somehow does. (Alaska Records)"

K-Fuel: S/T CD
K-Fuel, a French zine was nice enough to post a review of the ST CD.


punknews.org: Has A Posse
Benard's Has A Posse two-song EP is punk-charged indie rock that while roughly produced and occasionally sloppy, is a brief look into some smart ideas being executed quickly and without aggrandizing the sound. With a lead singer resembling a throatier Cedric Bixler, I'm tempted to throw them into the newest wave of At The Drive-In clones, but there seems to be a little more going on. Things are a bit more raw and unbridled, perhaps similar to the early 90's work of Franklin before their reggae influences started to surface.

As noted immediately in opener "This Shit Is The Shit" (after an increasingly pensive moment of riffing and loudening feedback in the other speaker), the vocals are consistently under a layer of distortion, but it works well, upping the desperate factor to the music by a few increments. If you're getting a sense of a stripped down, no holds barred attack from this song and "I Wish You Were A Penguin," it's probably because the EP was recorded on an 8-track reel-to-reel, tracked live (minus the vocals) and on the first take.

As these are the first two songs the band has ever put to tape, it's an impressive debut showing a ton of potential in the Smyrna, GA outfit. While there isn't a ton of replayability here despite the length, Benard definitely has a real shot at making a lasting entry into the genre.