UNORTHODOX

On their second album Edge of Sanity didn't want to be just another regular death metal band. Their Swedish variation on the American death metal brutality has more sense for melody and also integrates elements from other styles of music, such as gothic rock and neo-prog. It's not surprising that many acts who started in this style evolved into more prog/symphonic or gothic directions. Katatonia, Therion, Tiamat and of course Edge of Sanity themselves are good examples.

The opening track Enigma is the best, it integrates some violin and it adds some clean vocals to offset the brutal death throat of the band's mastermind Dan Swanö. It has more melodic leads then any American band would integrate. The floksy anthemic lead at minute 3 is a good example. But all death metal ingredients are in place as well: constant tempo changes, brutality, technical playing, intricate riffing,...

It's been ages since I last heard this album and was surprised to find myself liking it more then I remember. I must have really warmed up to extreme metal after years of exposure to Opeth and Enslaved. But except for Enigma and the brutal The Day of Maturity which features some surprising synth effects, it's difficult to distinguish the tracks from each other. Well it's still death metal right; the aim is a relentless attack that doesn't compromise itself to melodic indulgences. It's a trick that usually gets tedious after 30 minutes, but the consistent quality and focussed performance makes it work here.

This is a classic death metal album with ambition. It promises more then what it actually realises, but future albums would live up to it.