Edge Of Sanity - Nothing But Death Remains (1991) (Japanese VICP-23108)

"Nothing But Death Remains" was recorded in January of 1991 at Montezuma Studios, and some of the material was written as far back as 1989. The death metal scene in Sweden (and anywhere for that matter) was basically just getting started in the late 1980's, and it wasn't until years later that Swedish death metal became categorized into styles like 'Sunlight', 'Gothenburg', etc. Swanö and company were always doing their own thing, even in this early stage of their career. If I had to draw comparisons then I would place the sound of early Edge of Sanity next to the works of Hypocrisy and Grave, rather than more trademark Swedish outfits like Nihilist and Carnage. You can hear similarities in the music to the above bands as well as early American death metal, but in the end the only way to really describe this is simply labelling it 'Edge of Sanity'.

The production on this album is pretty lackluster, particularly in the drumming and vocal departments. The bass drum sits extremely high in the mix and pounds heavily, but the rest of the percussion and other instruments sound bland and distant. A similar drum production was used by Beherit on their "Drawing Down the Moon" LP, but the contrast in highs and bass wasn't as strong there. Beherit were able to pull it off because their music and overall image was deliberately primitive, raw and dirty. Edge of Sanity, on the other hand, never really fit that profile and seemed like a genuinely talented band in need of more experience and practice that just happened to land a shitty producer for their first album. Dan Swanö's growling vocals are powerful and generally audible, but they're not always used to their fullest potential. There are times when his voice sounds very dry and crackly, notably during the faster sections of the songs where the overwhelming bass drum takes center stage. In addition to the above oversights, the production also suffers from random changes in volume level. It's especially noticeable during the first 60 seconds of the song "Human Aberration." The pleasing sound of the bass and rhythm guitars is a definite plus, but doesn't change the fact that whoever produced this record failed to deliver.

The music itself varies from mid-paced to fast thrashy death metal, with the occasional melodic leads thrown in. Most of the songs are fairly generic in structure, but the guitar riffs and vocal patterns make it fun to listen (and headbang) to. Songs like "Decepted By the Cross" and "Immortal Souls" are pounding, fast-paced compositions that induce an adrenaline rush in the listener. Two songs on this LP are part of the "Epidemic Reign" series, which later continued onto Edge of Sanity's second album "Unorthodox". Contrary to what one may think, these songs aren't particularly 'epic' or anything of that sort. They're just your typical death metal cuts that happen to share a continuing story divided into chapters. The musicianship on the album is simple, but what do you expect from a bunch of teenagers? The guitarist has some cool ideas for the riffs, but it's obvious that he hasn't been playing for very long. The same goes for the bassist. As for the drumming, it consists of very simplistic thrash beats varying in tempo. There's little double bass or blasting on this album.

Edge of Sanity's debut doesn't exactly stand out as a landmark album in Swedish death metal, but it's worth owning if you're a fan of the band's early days (the demos and following 2 albums). If you're strictly into later-day Edge of Sanity, then I wouldn't recommend this to you unless you're really interested in hearing what these guys sounded like in high school.

~ www.metal-archives.com