All officially licensed by Century Media and released in cooperation with Dan Swanö.
Edge of Sanity’s 1991 debut album, a classic of Swedish Death Metal, now available of cassette. Remastered by Dan Swanö. Features an 8-panel J-Card and UV printed cassette tape.
Every story has its beginning, and EDGE OF SANITY's "Nothing But Death Remains" is where it all began. This is the first studio album by the Swedish death metal band Edge of Sanity, released in 1991. Dedicated to the memory of John Med Gummihandsken.
I re discovered this album a few months ago because I was getting a little bored of listening to the same old stuff and was finding it hard to find new and interesting albums to listen to. I have been a big fan of Edge of Sanity for many years but only just now did I fall in love with this gem from the crucial year for metal of 1991. This album is hands down without a shadow of a doubt an old school death metal cult classic in my humble opinion. I have listened to it enough times to come to that safe conclusion I reckon. I'm even considering buying the shirt which I found at a good price on amazon. To be honest I wasn't sure I really liked Nothing But Death Remains the first time I heard it but it did leave me curious to want to play it again and again and so on. It may not be catchy to some people's tastes but once you really listen to it closely then it becomes apparent that this is something special at least to my ears. I think Dan Swanö is a legend and to think he was only around 18 when he recorded this is far beyond me. The other musicians also get big round of applause for their contribution in making this awesome piece of timeless work.
This album received mixed reviews but I can't understand why it isn't praised as much as I feel it should have been. I think it's because it was overshadowed by other releases at the time. Especially by the big 4 Swedish death metal bands' outputs during the same time period. The other criticism I have read is the production not being up to par and sounding too raw. Well this beauty has been remastered last year and it does sound a bit more polished but it was the original that captivated me anyway. The musicianship and vocals sound more solid on the remaster and sounds more beefed up.I don't claim to be much of a writer or critic but I felt the compulsion to sign up to give this album the praise it deserves because the average rating at the moment does not give it justice to be honest. I love the old school sound and this one fits nicely up there amongst the greatest examples of this kind of death metal I believe.
Firstly the production is somewhat raw and maybe a bit primitive but I do like it this way especially for a debut of the year of 1991. The music is not too complex either, so for some people's tastes it's a hit or miss. I do like technical metal too but I also like straight up catchy riff after riff and solid drum playing genres as well. The only thing I kind of missed on this album was double bass drumming which I love because it brings more intensity to the music I feel. Nevertheless I got used to the drumming here and I do like it a lot because it's relentless all the way through and brilliantly executed. The bass drum speed thumps and pounds fast all the way through each song and the snare drum is done perfectly along with the rest of the fills in an intricate way. Not really any blast beats but I do love the drums a lot here and it's one of the highlights for me. The guitars are down tuned, razor sharp and shred impeccably with a lot of catchy crushing riffs to bang your head to. Not the buzzsaw sound like other bands from the same era but still heavy as fuck! Now that I know the music well enough I appreciate the guitar playing very much even though there is no lead guitar solos. Maybe lack of lead guitar is another reason why some give a mixed review but I can live without it. The bass is also audible and makes everything sound full and powerful to say the least and some songs it's very prevalent like the intro to Maze of Existence. It does add to the dark atmosphere a lot and I'm glad it's not drowned in the mix. As for the vocals they are brutal, low pitched and guttural yet somehow staying somewhat decipherable. Lots of deep ooh's and ahh's here and there adding more of a brutal aura to the songs. The lyrics are all about death, rebirth, anti religion and impending doom. I actually quite liked reading along to them because they spoke to me on so many different levels.
This album is relatively short lived, clocking in at 31 minutes and 35 seconds but that's not a bad a thing at all. It just makes me want to listen to it over and over again from start to finish without skipping any tracks. All songs stand out for me but maybe my absolute favourites are Human Aberration, Maze of Existence, The Dead, Decepted by the Cross, Angel of Distress and Immortal Souls. Yes it was hard to pick only 1 or 2 because I like all songs that much! I listened to the remix version that was made last year but found I preferred the original better because the vocals didn't really sound as good. The remastered version is probably the most polished and deserves a good listen if you didn't like the original's production. This album for me has quickly become one of my favourite death metal releases from this time period and I regularly still play it and haven't got bored of it yet. If I had to compare the sound I'd say it sounds a bit like a mix of Unleashed and Morbid Angel. This is one heavy death metal piece of work, brutally executed and lyrically well told.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=fUDphx0GQ_c
