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| Edge of Sanity | |
|---|---|
 Dan Swanö | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Finspång, Sweden |
| Genres | Melodic death metal, progressive death metal, death metal (early) |
| Years active | 1989–1999, 2003 |
| Labels | Black Mark |
| Past members | Dan Swanö Andreas Axelsson Sami Nerberg Anders Lindberg Benny Larsson Robert Karlsson |
Edge of Sanity was a Swedish death metal band that, alongside Opeth, is commonly regarded as being the first to fuse extreme metal styles like death and black metal with progressive rock. The group was founded by Dan Swanö in 1989 and ended in 2003.
History
Edge of Sanity began as a death metal band with their debut release Nothing but Death Remains. The band's second release, Unorthodox, with tracks like "Enigma" and "When All Is Said", showed Edge of Sanity branching out from some of the genre's conventions. The Spectral Sorrows, Until Eternity Ends, and Purgatory Afterglow continued the trend, so that by the release of Crimson (1996), Edge of Sanity was a progressive metal band. Crimson was a 40-minute concept album consisting entirely of one track, concerning a post-apocalyptic future in which mankind had lost the ability to breed. After one more album, Infernal (1997), guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Dan Swanö left Edge of Sanity, and his departure is generally associated with a decline in quality in the band's material. Swanö was replaced by Robert Karlsson, the vocalist of Pan.Thy.Monium (a side project in which Swanö was also involved), but after one more album, Cryptic, the band split up.
In 2003, Swanö revived the outfit as a one-man band (with several session musicians), and recorded a sequel to Crimson, Crimson II. Immediately after, he re-dissolved the project.
The Kur-Nu-Gi-A demo was re-released on LP in 2011, and on CD in 2012.
In the spring of 2024, Century Media Records and InsideOutMusic revealed plans to launch the first chapter of an extensive reissue campaign for Edge Of Sanity's catalogue. These definitive reissues were remastered by Swanö. In June 2024, a video was shared featuring the remastered version of Black Tears, from the band's 1994 album Purgatory Afterglow.
Members
Final line-up
- Dan Swanö – vocals (1989–1997, 2003), keyboards, piano (1991–1997, 2003), guitar (1994–1997, 2003), bass (1997, 2003), drums (2003)
- Andreas Axelsson − guitar (1989–1999, 2003), vocals (1997)
Previous members
- Sami Nerberg − guitar (1989–1999)
- Anders Lindberg − bass (1989–1999)
- Benny Larsson − drums (1989–1999)
- Robert Karlsson − vocals (1997–1999)
Timeline
Discography
Albums
- Nothing but Death Remains (1991)
- Unorthodox (1992)
- The Spectral Sorrows (1993)
- Purgatory Afterglow (1994)
- Crimson (1996)
- Infernal (1997)
- Cryptic (1997)
- Crimson II (2003)
EPs
- Until Eternity Ends (EP, 1994)
Demos
- Euthanasia (1989)
- Kur-Nu-Gi-A (1990)
- The Dead (1990)
- The Immortal Rehearsals (1990)
- Dead but Dreaming (1992)
- Darkday (1993)
- Lost (1993)
- The Spectral Sorrows Demos (1993)
- Infernal Demos (1996)
Compilations
- Evolution (1999)
- When All Is Said (2006)
Videos
- "Black Tears" (1994) from Purgatory Afterglow
- "Uncontroll Me" (1997) from Cryptic
- Live in Norrköping 1991
References
- "Sunday Old School: Edge Of Sanity". Metal Underground. 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- "The 15 Best Swedish Metal Records". SPIN. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- "Edge of Sanity / Nightingale catalogue reissue campaign announced; new single/video for Edge of Sanity's "Twilight" (Remix 2024) available now". BraveWords. 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- "Edge of Sanity release remastered version of "Black Tears" off upcoming 30th anniversary reissues". Lambgoat. 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
External links
| Edge of Sanity | |
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| Albums | |
| EPs | |
| Compilations | |