Benediction - Dark Is the Season (1992)^{Release ID: 8996}

Hidden in the functional yet largely predictable Benediction discography is this EP from 1992.  Coming after their sophomore full length and ahead of the much lauded Transcending the Rubicon which was to drop a year later, Dark Is the Season is perhaps the most impressive thing I have heard in the Benediction back-catalogue to date.   It suffers from a slightly stifling production job, which is the first thing you notice as the drums to the opening track, Foetus Noose start to kick in.  However, the band somehow perseveres through this sock over the microphones sound and manage to deliver some of the best Bolt Thrower-esque death metal with the intensity of Napalm Death thrown in for good measure.

Things really kick off though with track two, Forged In Fire which deploys a slower tempo to get things going and maintains this solid and patient structure throughout.  Peter Rew and Darren Brookes are on fine form here, creating menace and threat with their lead/melodies work that loom over the track, complimented perfectly by Dave Ingram's familiar vocals.  The production denies this track of coming across as being perfect overall but the band still give it a bloody good go along the way.  This oppressive atmosphere continues through the title track with its spoken word passages adding to the tension brilliantly.  Treacy's drums carry a real power behind them, albeit they are diluted somewhat by the production job, but you can still sense his large presence on every track.

In terms of straight up old-school British death metal, you will struggle to find much of a better example in all honesty.  The compositions are a little clunky here and there, as are the transitions in some tracks but what is apparent the whole time is that the band are trying at least.  There is a death/doom vibe to Jumping at Shadows with its horrific melodies and there is only really the closing track that is actually a bit mediocre by way of comparison to everything else.  This little EP is hitting some serious rotation right now here at Vinny Mansions, let me tell you.