Review by Felix on March 24, 2026.

“Dark Is The Season”, Benediction’s first EP, had found some friends back in 1992. In order to feed the audience at a short frequency, “The Grotesque / Ashen Epitaph” bridged the time between two full-lengths. Only two new songs and three already well-known tracks in pretty unnecessary live designs filled 20 minutes of the output, and this alone is dubious enough. EPs were and still are always comparatively expensive when you put them in relation to full albums, and this made this small offering all the more interesting. However, the spotlight is set on the then-new songs.

“The Grotesque” marks a strong beginning. It makes the head bang due to its rapid, well-arranged flow. Its smoothness is contrasted by the growls of Dave Ingram, who gives the number its death metal flair. The song is neither progressively designed nor does it suffer from predictability. One can discuss its second half, which appears quite standardised in view of its mid-tempo riffing. But all in all, the song scores with compactness, clarity, and a healthy dose of brutality. Good thing – and frankly speaking, much better than the dragging beginning of the co-title track. Fortunately, the track picks up speed as well, the double bass does its work reliably, and some guitar lines are able to lend the song a slightly morbid touch. Anyway, this piece cannot hold a candle to the opener. Only in terms of the production, which matched the expectations of a death metal release in the early nineties, the song does not stand in the shadow of “The Grotesque”.

One track from each and every one of the first three full-lengths form the live block. All songs are okay, no doubt about it, but I guess nobody bought the EP because of these well-known songs. Perhaps it was calculated that, after a live appetiser on this EP, people would want to buy every previous album. That would have been a rather ignoble attitude on the part of the band towards their fans. But let's believe in the good in metalheads. Maybe it was just a coincidence. The fact is that the live atmosphere does not come through, the reactions of the audience are miserable, and all this makes no sense to me, but who am I? Those who think they must have the songs should buy the compilation from 2015, where this EP and “Dark Is the Season” are bundled.

Rating: 6.8 out of 10