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Edge Of Sanity: The spectral sorrows
15/11/11 || BamaHammer
I’ll admit that it wasn’t until I heard “Crimson II” for the first time that I truly realized how great Edge of Sanity could be. When they were on their game and Dan Swanö didn’t have too many irons in the fire with his renowned amalgam of contrived and mostly shitty side projects, they could produce some of the highest quality death metal ever penned. Don’t get me wrong, they had their fair share of turds in the punch bowl like “Infernal” and most of “Unorthodox”, but they’ll always be remembered for their contributions to the scene with the two classics, “Crimson” and “Crimson II: Judgement Day”, and the stunning “The Spectral Sorrows”.
The opening track is a 1:44 instrumental intro that also, strangely enough, serves as the title track for the record, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better, more fitting intro track to an album anywhere. Think about it. Most intro tracks on albums are complete and utter nonsense that grow more and more annoying and pretentious the more times you hear them. However, this one sets the tone for what’s coming better than any intro since Emperor’s “Alsvartr (The Oath)“ from “Anthems…”. The pulsing guitar tone and the eerie absence of drums at the beginning create an atmosphere that’s creepier than a pedophile at a playground.
The production of the album is surprisingly solid for an album recorded in 1993. The levels of every instrument are perfect, and the guitar tone is the trademark Unisound Studios guitar tone. It’s thick, richly overdriven, and it has just enough of that honking midrange that provides an aggressive bite. The opening riff of “Livin’ Hell” (which is the co-champion of the dumbest song title on the record contest along with “Feedin’ the Charlatan”) really demonstrates that ripping tone well and sounds like it could have easily been slipped onto a good Dismember album without notice.
Benny Larsson puts in a pretty damn fine performance on the drums on this record too, which is cool since he’s only the second-best drummer in the band. It sounds like they went with the old damn-the-metronome philosophy, on basically every track, leading Benny’s beats to sound like they’re always on the verge of derailing everything only to find a way pull it all back together. When you couple that with the classic guitar tones and the always badass yet emotional Swanö growls and croons, you’ve got a recipe for a studio album with some excellent live qualities.
It’s definitely no secret, however, that it’s über-talented Dan Swanö that makes this band go. He’s always seemed like he has more creative moments in a single year than most musicians will have in a lifetime, and that ever flowing stream of creativity is our gain here. On every track, we’re treated to a conglomeration of one groovy riff after another, and they all fit together so well and accent all the parts of the song. The album’s true opener, “Darkday,” is one of the catchiest death metal tracks you’ll ever hear, despite the lyrical eloquence of a rambling meth addict:
I know the unbecoming.
The worlds nevermade.
The unmaking, I know them.
And now I weep and pray.
Whatthehellever, Shakespeare.
The bottom line is that “The Spectral Sorrows” is a truly killer album from a truly killer band. There is not really a single moment on the record that makes you want to skip a track, get bored, or listen to something else. You’re constantly being bombarded with breathtaking ideas and awesome riffs. In fact, it’s extremely difficult to truly appreciate overall grandeur this album holds with just a couple of listens. I’ve heard this record countless times, and even now with every spin, I pick up on something interesting I’ve never noticed before. It might be an intricate rhythm guitar part or a subtle drum fill, but I always hear something new. Even the cover is interesting, even though it appears to be the legendary Dan Seagrave’s interpretation of what the inside of a duodenum looks like.
If you’re a lover of interesting music and you’ve never heard “The Spectral Sorrows”, you owe it to yourself to get a hold of this album and give it a few spins so it can work its way deep into your mind. It’s an album that shows that quality death metal can be a beautiful thing.
- Information
- Released: 1993
- Label: Black Mark Production
- Website: N/A
- Band
- Dan Swanö: vocals, piano, guitars
- Andreas Axelsson: guitars, bass
- Sami Nerberg: guitars
- Benny Larsson: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. The Spectral Sorrows
- 02. Darkday
- 03. Livin’ Hell
- 04. Lost
- 05. The Masque
- 06. Blood of My Enemies (Manowar cover)
- 07. Jesus Cries
- 08. Across the Fields Forever
- 09. On the Other Side
- 10. Sacrificed
- 11. Waiting to Die
- 12. Feedin’ the Charlatan
- 13. A Serenade for the Dead
