Filling in on Bass with ANURYZM at DRF 2013

Hello everyone!

Crazy news! I'll be filling in on bass for my broskis in ANURYZM for their show at the Dubai Rock Festival which is headlined by one of my main influences of all time, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN. How f***ing nuts is that?

Also on the bill are Swedish icons DARK TRANQUILITY, MYRATH, NIGHTMARE, and more!

You guys have no idea how psyched I am about playing this show! It's a true honor to not only be sharing the stage with my idols, but to be performing with one of my favorite bands ANURYZM.

Check out the poster and drool!

Damn straight!
Hadi

"THE TYRANT" Official Guitar Playthrough

Hello everyone!

Check out the new pro shot Guitar Playthrough video of the song "THE TYRANT" off of DIVIDED EP.

You can download DIVIDED EP for FREE on THIS link.

Don't forget to LIKE us on Facebook, FOLLOW us on Twitter, and SUBSCRIBE to our channel on YouTube.

P.S: The video was shot with a Canon 600D.

ENJOY!
Hadi

[PRESS RELEASE] BENEVOLENT & IGNITE AMPS ANNOUNCE SIGNATURE CUSTOM PEDAL & ENDORSEMENT DEAL

January 15, 2013: UAE-based extreme experimental metal band BENEVOLENT and Italian amp makers IGNITE AMPS have announced their collaboration through a signature custom drive pedal geared towards the band's sound. The pedal, dubbed as the TYRANT SCREAMER (TSB-1) features a Tube Screamer-type circuitry with extra features that works towards Benevolent's guitar tone identity.

Carlo Costabile, Ignite Amps Co-Founder & Managing Partner, said "We're really proud of our Tyrant Screamer. It has all the characteristics of the classic overdrive, an extended gain excursion and our exclusive "sweep" control which gives the user total control on how the pedal interacts with his guitar and playing style. This feature is especially useful for bands using very low tuning, because it helps to cut through the mix in both live and studio situations."

"We're also psyched to work for a band from Dubai as we never did before, but we know their scene is killer! This is especially the case since the band in question is Benevolent, a bunch of fun-loving guys that also happen to know their business real well when they step on stage. We're looking forward to work with Benevolent again, the collaboration has been awesome and we're already discussing new ideas for upcoming gear."

Benevolent is now an officially endorsed artist by the Italian company and this partnership will feature more innovative products of this kind in the future. Hadi Sarieddine, founder/guitarist/co-vocalist of Benevolent, states "it's extremely exciting for us that we're doing this, I've used Ignite Amps' products digitally for a while now and it's just overwhelmingly awesome to be receiving a signature custom pedal from such a professional company. I feel that this partnership is going to yield in many great things.”

"The Ignite Amps team has been great, they have been a true pleasure to work with since the get-go and they've put in all the necessary to make this happen. We're all really psyched about this right now!"

The Italian company was brought to life in 2006 by Federico Berti and Carlo Costabile, two musicians who wanted to build the gear that they needed. The company's products caught the interest of professional musicians from around the globe. Ignite Amps provides both physical products and computer-based plugins. The company's primary goal is to provide musicians with instruments that perfectly fit their needs and is geared more towards custom products.

In discussing the experience behind the build process and working with Ignite Amps, Mohammed Gad (Benevolent's guitarist) stated "At first we communicated with Ignite Amps regarding what we were looking for, they then designed the pedal and built a computer plugin version of it for us to try. We used the plugin version for testing and adjustments. The actual physical pedal was built based upon that and the final product sounds EXACTLY the same as the plugin. The physical build quality is unbelievable, we cannot be happier! The pedal packs tons of gain and has a very wide range of dynamics that give us the exact set of tools to shape our guitar tones."

He added, "It means a lot to us to be working with a reputable and international company that makes products that we are out there searching for, especially when the team behind the company shares the passion that we have for the band and the music, this is amazing!"

Federico Berti, Ignite Amps’ Co-Founder & Managing Partner, stated "Working with open-minded musicians, like the Benevolent guys, is always a breeze. They know exactly what they want and they're used to digital home recording, which is very important for us. We followed our usual workflow: designing the analog circuit and then implementing a simulation of it in VST/AU format, capable of running in real time on any modern computer. We sent the software to them and then further revised the circuit according to their feedback and requests. We love to use this approach, as it reduces the prototyping costs and musicians can hear how their custom gear will sound before we even start the actual build. I guess I can safely say that we're the only amp brand in the world offering this kind of service."

The pedal will be available for purchase directly from Ignite Amps. The VST/AU plugin version of the pedal will be available for FREE DOWNLOAD from Ignite Amps official website (www.igniteamps.com) through the course of February. To stay up to date on the release of the plugin, give Ignite Amps a LIKE on Facebook on http://www.facebook.com/IgniteAmps

Benevolent is currently working on their much anticipated follow up to their debut release, the upcoming album features ANDOLS HERRICK (formerly of Chimaira) who has recorded drums on the entire record.

To stay in touch with Benevolent's news and updates, check out their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/benevolent.band and their YouTube channel on http//www.youtube.com/user/benevolentband

YOU CAN ALSO GRAB A FREE DOWNLOAD OF BENEVOLENT'S DEBUT ALBUM "DIVIDED EP" AT http://benevolent.bandcamp.com

- ENDS -

Benevolent Purgatory Polymetrics Video Guitar Lesson

Hello everyone!

First of all, I'd like to wish you a belated Happy New Year. And with this new year we come to you with a cool lesson video covering one of the complex riffs on the album DIVIDED EP, it comes from the song PURGATORY.

This is a riff in 5/8 running over a 4/4 beat, lots of fun playing the riff because it falls under a cool drum beat and the polymeters in there create a pretty interesting groove.

Check out the video on the link below and leave your thoughts in the comments section:

Don't forget to LIKE Benevolent on FACEBOOK, and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to keep up with the videos that we're posting.

Hope you enjoy the video.

Hadi

The Gulf Bike Fest Experience

Hello everyone!

It's been an absolutely great month for us, on October 18th 2012 we performed live at the Live & Local stage at Gulf Bike Week festival which was HEADLINED BY MEGADETH!

As soon as we were confirmed for the gig the preparation and planning began!

Prasad and Gad's tickets to come down to Dubai were in place, hotels booked, rehearsal space arranged, and we were ready to get to it!

During the weeks leading up to the show, and seeing as we're in different countries, each member of the band prepared for our setlist from the comfort of their own home playing along to the studio recordings of Divided EP (WHICH YOU CAN STILL DOWNLOAD FOR FREE BY CLICK HERE). Also, we decided to play a cover song this time around; the choice was Nemesis by Arch Enemy. So, we all basically just hammered it out in our own space until we got together as a band to rehearse and get it working together.

We had a great time, the guys flew in a couple of hours before the rehearsal was scheduled so we got to have a quick meal and did some fast catching up right before rehearsal time came about. Right after finishing up the rehearsal we packed our gear and went straight to the Gulf Bike Festival venue for setup and soundcheck. It was great that we got to do that at night, we didn't feel like we were racing against the clock to make it in time before people start walking in!

Sound was great! We could hear each other clearly on stage, and the house mix to the crowd was pretty killer too!

Show day came and we were all feeling great! (I am usually the one getting super nervous before a show, but for this one I felt a lot calmer than usual). Unfortunately, a lot of times you get caught up worrying about the sound being right and over-thinking every note that you're about to hit on the guitar; however, this time around I had a serious conversation with myself and convinced me to just enjoy that time on stage, and enjoy the entire day. We were playing the Gulf Bike Festival, at Dubai Festival City, and Megadeth was the headlining act; that's a bunch of awesome things happening and nothing ever beats that feeling of being on stage and sharing your music with a live audience and feeling their reaction to your music as it happens. It worked out! I enjoyed it and had an absolute BLAST! (I guess I can be pretty convincing)

We had a great time at the show, we met some awesome people and made some new friends! I wanna thank Ryan Noronha for being the awesome person that he is and of course none other than Barney Ribeiro for being absolutely epic, booking the show and making this all happen! You guys are awesome!

[IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BOOK BENEVOLENT FOR A CONCERT / TOUR CONTACT OUR BOOKING AGENT BARNEY RIBEIRO AT AAR@SPELLBINDRECORDS.COM]

After the show, we grabbed a few beers, celebrated, and then had a great time seeing our good friends Absolace and then the headliners MEGADETH kill it! (Unfortunately, we missed Sandwash's set because we were packing our gear and what not!)

We've got a few more exciting things coming up so STAY TUNED!

HINT: News about our epic work with IGNITE AMPS and some more juicy stuff is coming!

Thank you for reading!
Hadi

Benevolent Performing on Same Day as Megadeth in Dubai! ZOMGWTFBBQ!

Hello everyone!!!!

This post carries with it some REALLY special news! We have been confirmed for GULF BIKE WEEK 2012 and will be performing LIVE at the Live & Local Stage on October 18th, which is the same day that MEGADETH are performing!

Check out our profile on the official Gulf Bike Week website HERE

This is pretty effing crazy! We are really psyched and we absolutely CAN'T WAIT for it to go down.

This is me stopping by real quick to share the news with you all. I'll be back in a few days with more posts relating to this.

Don't forget to check out our two VLOG videos from our previous show out here in Dubai:

HELL FREAKING YES!

Speak soon!
Hadi

Download my Line 6 Rhythm Tones

Hey guys!

As you all know I have been using Line 6 gear extensively for a long time now, so I figured why not share my main recording Rhythm tones with you all!

I went ahead and uploaded the two main Rhythm guitar tones to the Line 6 Custom Tone site, CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE TONES.

The below tune was recorded using those tones, check it out:

Be sure to drop me a line on what you think of those tones and do share your tracks recording using the tones in the comments section or on Facebook.

Have fun!
Hadi

New YouTube layouts! BOOM!

Hey guys!

So I designed new YouTube backgrounds/rearranged and updates the pages for both my personal channel and Benevolent's YouTube channel.

Czech it awt!
Hadi

New Song! Orchestral Soundtrack Blockbuster Content

Hey guys!

So I did this little tune for the fun of things! It's a soundtrack-ish type of piece with a blockbuster feel and, of course, metul!

Enjoyness!

Hadi

Shoved Riffs & Being Over-Inspired

Hey guys,

You know that time of the day when you hear a little something in your head that seems to be suiting as a begin of a song or a continuation of an already-started piece? You get that extra super-energized excitement and you feel like you've achieved John Petrucci levels?

Be warned that in such cases there's a good chance you're being tricked by our own adrenaline, and blinded by your excitement.

I find that lots of times when I am SUPER-PERKY-STYLE psyched about a part, it's not exactly what I think it sounds like. This is evident when I show a recording of the idea to someone and they go like "Ummm...yea, it's alright!"; hearing words like that feels like an avalanche of despair and a heart-breaking moment that'll take you a few days of rerunning the conversation in your mind to believe if it's the truth or not. It can't be true, or can it?

Here's what I think happens: a lot of times when we try to copy certain things or translate certain ideas we're hearing in our minds they sound a lot like the other side of the spectrum, rather. This, however, is not always a bad thing at all. Here's why:

Sometimes we hear a song or a section that inspires us to write something or go in a certain direction musically and the fact that our newly created part doesn't sound spot on to what we had intended may very well cause the creation of something completely original. I find that a lot of times when we are "inspired" that inspiration is borrowed from something we've seen, heard, experienced, etc. Creating something remotely far from what we had intended brings out that inner genius.

So as we can see, there is a caution in being over-inspired in the sense that we tend to create things that are pretty far off from what we're hearing in our minds; however, there are moments where we find that a certain genius is born from such events.

A very contrasting and confusing post!

Hadi

First Day Tracking Vocals

Hey guys!

Today was the first day of vocal tracking, Fadi jumped right in with great energy and ripped through his parts.

What we're going to do is finish all the growl vocals (Fadi's bits) first, and then after that I'll step in to do my vocals and finish up my solos as well along the same time.

Here are some shots from today's session:

Stay tuned!
Hadi

Fresh Album Making Updates

Hey guys!

So we're closing in on the making of this record! HOORAH!

We've got a couple of songs to track the guitars and bass for, vocals/lyrics finalization are happening next week, solos and finalization of all production/sound design layers elements is on the menu for the upcoming weeks as well!

Andols Herrick has one more drum tracking session taking place through the next week and then we start pooling all the pieces together to finalizing this record.

We're extremely excited to share it with everyone! You are definitely going to be hearing our hearts and souls flowing through this album from start to finish. The songs are beefy, rich in many elements, and it's the soundtrack of the next chapter of the Benevolent family's life!

Stay in touch and be well! (Keep up with our updates on Facebook)

Hadi

Sorry Have Been Busy Relocating

Hey guys!

I am extremely sorry for the delay in blogging, I've been busy relocating to the UAE and I am now officially living in Dubai. Feels great! It's a very vibrant city with lots going on, lots of concerts and the metal scene is pretty great out here! I can't wait to explore the country further as I stay here and will definitely keep you guys posted on album progress and my production/songwriting rants!

Be well!

Hadi

Snapshot of ANDOLS HERRICK tracking drums for the BENEVOLENT album

Title says it all!

GET PSYCHED!

Hadi

In Lebanon; Working Hard

Hey guys!

So I'm in Lebanon taking a little break in between relocation. March has been a huge month, I've left Kuwait for good after spending over two decades there (in addition to being born there), and now I'm in the process of moving to the UAE. EXCITING.

So, while I'm here taking a short vacation I've been spending lots of time with my AMT Electronics pedals and being exceptionally productive in work on the upcoming BENEVOLENT album. It's all coming together nicely!

I'm also working closely with Ignite Amps on an upcoming exciting something which we all cannot wait to reveal. We're currently doing final touches before this gets announced and becomes available for ordering!

I'll leave you with a few shots that make my mess of a workspace look hawt.

Hadi

AMT B-1 through Ignite Amps TPA-1

Hey guys!


Here's a new test! AMT Electronics' B-1 through the TPA-1 by Ignite Amps (It is an upcoming Tube Power Amp plugin that I'm beta testing)

Cheers
Hadi

Working with IGNITE AMPS

Hey guys!

So we [BENEVOLENT] have been working with IGNITE AMPS on a little something to be revealed soon (STAY TUNED); what I wanted to do is to take this little moment to chime in about the experience of working with them on this project and the way they process custom orders and deliver gear brutality whether it be through plugins or through hardware units.

I've been in touch with Federico Berti from Ignite Amps for a while now, mainly exchanging ideas and having endless conversations about gear. Along the way and through the webs of our conversations emerged the idea of doing a custom SOMETHING for Benevolent and the experience of working with him and the Ignite Amps team has been absolutely brilliant! They are extremely dedicated, creative, capable, knowledgeable, proactive, and hard working guys! Thorough communication and a very transparent way of dealing with their clients who eventually become friends!

The way Ignite Amps does their custom work is by first developing a VST/AU plugin for you with the specifications of your unit; whether it is an amp, preamp, pedal, etc. The plugins are made to match the exact characteristics of the unit and provide you with a way to demo your gear before it enters the hardware stage, where things become a bit more tricky to change around.

I am happy to be one of the fortunate artists who are working with such a great and dedicated team. When you are dedicated to your craft and you meet people who are as dedicated (and more) and can sit right in with the wavelength of ideas you bring to the table, the work becomes a joyful ride!

If you've got some custom guitar/bass gear unit you want to get together hit these guys up on www.igniteamps.com

Talk soon!
Hadi

AMT P-1 Metal Test

Hey guys!

Here goes the test of the AMT Electronics P-1. The audio speaks for itself!

HELL YES!

Hadi

Discover YOUR Musicianship

One of the main things that definitely set things in motion for me as a musician is coming to an understanding of who I am as a musician; the solid yet dynamic definition that sets the stage to channel all the hard work into a unified path and opens up the gates for even further dedication.

The trick behind this deal is the simple reality that when you know and understand what you're all about (or plan to be all about) as a musician you develop this tunnel vision giving you that focal point and an edge in which this new found dedication becomes all you know, all you think about, and all you look forward to. It almost (or very much so) turns into an obsession where all the hard work involved with getting it done becomes a very light task and you find yourself able to activate your inner genius.

The results of your work and the gratification entailed with watching all the elements align from the work of your very hands is a beautiful and addictive feeling.

Tunnel vision is what it's all about; whether you are a musician, a painter, writer, etc; whatever it is, it's all about the go-getter attitude that automatically goes into positive-haywire mode once you find yourself at peace, knowledge, and full acknowledgement and understanding of what you're on about in that domain.

Talk soon folks,
Hadi

AMT Electronics P-1 and B-1 = WIN

Just got the AMT Electronics Legend Amps Series' P-1 and B-1. Check out the photos below:

The B-1 is based on Bogner while the P-1 is based on Peavey's 5150. 

Clips coming soon!

Hadi