Sweden's Metal Shrine recently caught up with BENEDICTUM vocalist Veronica Freeman to discuss the band's new album, Seasons Of Tragedy. The following is an excerpt from the interview:

Are you totally self-taught when it comes to singing? Did you ever take lessons?

Freeman: "I tried taking lessons, just one or two times. The first time I tried taking lessons the guy was a total nut-case anyway, so that didn´t work out. Then I got introduced to an opera coach and he was like "You really have a powerful voice!". I think his quote was 'like a wild animal that needs to be tamed.' But at $80/hour it was a little bit out of my price range at the time. So I just kind of learned on my own."

Yeah, because that was the first thing that I was totally taken aback with the first time I heard you. It's a really, really powerful voice. It's unbelievable and you've got such a range as well.

Freeman: "Thank you very much! I really appreciate that. It´s always been kind of different for me. It´s nice to hear good things about it, because there was a time when my voice just didn't fit, you know what I mean. Like the ugly duckling. (laughs) I think about that and then most of my friends who weren't into metal back then, always told me 'You should be singing something else! Why aren't you singing blues or r&b;? Why do you wanna sing that metal?' But that was just what I loved, so I just kept at it."

Cool! The latest album was once again produced by Jeff Pilson. Is he involved in the song writing as well or is he just producing?

Freeman: "He's definitely involved in the song writing as well. The process kind of works like this... Pete and I will have something pretty well formed, especially for the second album because we learned so much from him on the first. Then he´ll listen to it and make more like arrangement ideas. 'It'll be a bit catchier if you put this here. Why don´t we thicken up the chorus right here.' We call him the sixth member of Benedictum."