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Dan Swanö is (or was) a fundamental figure within the Swedish death metal scene of the 1990s: not only for his role as a musician (numerous, in addition to Edge of Sanity themselves, his side projects, one above all: the crazy Pan.Thy.Monium), but also for his fruitful activity as a producer (it is to him that we owe the artistic maturation of bands like Opeth and Katatonia, both of which grew under his protective wing).
Nonetheless, hyperactivity definitely plays nasty tricks (Peter Tagtgren’s Hypocrisy are a glaring example!): Edge of Sanity imploded within a few years due to internal disputes and a Swanö increasingly exhausted and caught up in his commitments behind the mixing desk. But that's not all: if one looks calmly and detachedly at the entire discography of the band today, it turns out that the Scandinavian friends didn’t exactly flood us with masterpieces. To be fair, we might almost say that the successful season of Edge of Sanity was exhausted over just two albums: "Purgatory Afterglow", which I am about to review, and the subsequent "Crimson", which likely remains their masterpiece.
If in "Crimson" our heroes crowned their slightly megalomaniac ambition of crafting a single forty-minute suite, with this 1994 work they already demonstrated all those potentialities that they would be able to express fully in the future.
"Purgatory Afterglow", perhaps because it is a canonical album (ten tracks, and that's it!), is less indigestible compared to "Crimson" and certainly constitutes the ideal step for a first approach to the band.
Nevertheless, this work has the merit of condensing in itself the most authentic spirit of Sweden in those years: it contains not only the impact power of the first wave of Swedish death metal bands (Entombed, Dismember, Unleashed, etc., among which Edge of Sanity themselves can be included, since their debut dates back to 1991!). "Purgatory Afterglow" actually shines for a melodic talent and a freshness that are typical of all those bands that in the same years, starting from more or less extreme sounds, were approaching increasingly original and innovative solutions (just think of the melodic death of various Dark Tranquillity and In Flames, the doom/gothic of Tiamat, the death'n'roll of the late Entombed). And not only that: it even anticipates certain progressive insights that will make Opeth's fortune (and which they will inherit from master Swanö), as well as the intimate moods that we will find in the works of Katatonia. All this without neglecting that punk/hardcore attitude that has always found fertile ground in Scandinavian soil.
Therefore, "Purgatory Afterglow", while still maintaining good levels of aggressiveness, can easily be placed among those seminal works called to represent with dignity that generation of bands that right in those years were demonstrating the open mindset and courage to dare (state incentives helped!): the fact that the album is dedicated to the memory of Kurt Cobain (a ghost that we actually won’t encounter throughout the album) is the changing proof of how metal was already at the time no longer that army of irremediable defenders that the eighties had handed down to us and which some would like, alas, to restore today.
That we are not facing a mediocre group is already evident from the very first suggestive notes of "Twilight", the imposing opening track: airy keyboards and an evocative clean voice thicken like fog along the path that leads us into the world of Edge of Sanity. But it will only be a matter of moments, because a powerful riff of unmistakable Swedish stamp breaks in and sweeps everything away, thus driving an impetuous ride that in its eight epic minutes well represents the band's potential: speed, power, dynamism, melody, creativity. Five elements that we will find well mixed throughout the entire duration of the album.
Rough and powerful, yet well-defined sounds (including the purely Swedish ones!), are the perfect attire for this versatile and idea-rich band: a technically prepared ensemble at the peak of their inspiration that will skillfully combine impactful moments with more thought-out passages, often within the same track. The compositions, in fact, present complex and constantly changing structures; and if there’s a flaw to be pointed out, it is a slight tendency to dissipate ideas, so much so that at times one may feel a vague sense of bewilderment. Also, because the band's experiments are not one-sided, and in the mélange of sounds that "Purgatory Afterglow" offers us, we find fused in intricate passages melodic segments, dissonant guitar mash-ups, schizophrenia, and grinding boldness: all elements borrowed from both classic metal and the hardcore universe.
Among other things, the irresistible "Blood-Colored" and "Black Tears" are noteworthy: two tracks with a rock-gothic influence in which Swanö sets aside his caveman-like deep voice (perhaps the work's most quintessential death metal component) to embrace a seductive clean singing: two extremely catchy pieces that help to relieve the tension generated by the continuous tempo changes (great performance by drummer Benny Larsson) and the relentless churning of guitars (incredible synergy of the two axes Dread and Sami Nerberg, always paired to weave undeniably melodious interlaces).
The gritty bass of Anders Lindberg, although it claims very few protagonist spaces, plays a crucial role in generating that vitriolic wall of sound so typical of Swedish-made death metal. A wall of sound that finds its most perfect expression in the concluding "Song of Sirens" which, despite the title, reveals itself to be a hardcore-influenced piece very close, in immediacy and catchiness, to Entombed's "Wolverine Blues" (thanks also to the brash screams of the two guitarists, whose throats remind quite a bit of the ever-excellent L.G. Petrov).
Personally, I would have ended it all with lingering feedback and a cover of "Polly" by Nirvana, but you can’t have it all in life... Nonsense aside, how it ended is now well known: with the subsequent "Crimson", the peak of the career was reached, but thereafter the divergences between Swanö (increasingly oriented towards progressive solutions) and the other members (irrevocably supporting further hardening of the sound) would be destined to grow from album to album, eventually leading to dissolution (in 2003 Swanö would resurrect the band's name and try again alone with "Crimson II", but this time without leaving a mark!).
This does not change the fact that "Purgatory Afterglow" and "Crimson" remain in fact among the brightest testimonies of a truly bountiful historical period rich in consequences for the evolution of extreme-but-no-longer-extreme metal.
Listen to remember...
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Twilight (07:51)
I close your eyes and whisper "Goodbye".
You will never see how I cry.
I can recall what you said to me once:
"If I leave there will be a sign"
And the twilight will show me tonight.
From dusk to dawn. That's when we arise.
All souls forlorn, come down from the skies.
We're called the mist by the human race.
But we do exist in a million ways.
OH I'M IN THE TWILIGHT WORLD TONIGHT
AND I OBEY THE MOON.
I'M IN THE TWILIGHT WORLD TONIGHT.
THE MIST WILL DANCE AND THE ELVES WILL SING THEIR CROON.
My eyes will not believe the sight.
They dance in trance this magic night.
The sound that did enchant my ears.
I feel my eyes release the tears.
I know the answer now. To die, I an
no longer afraid somehow. And now I know
that there is another way for me to go.
And now they show that there is life in the afterglow.
I can feel the presence of the unknown side.
The shivers infest my body. This cannot be denied.
OH, WE'RE IN THE TWILIGHT WORLD TONIGHT...
No way! This can't be a dream!
I pinched my skin to make sure I was awake.
What I see might be too much to take.
The dance in a circle above the ground
and I can see you and it looks like you're still alive.
Somehow you seem so relieved.
A nightbird chasing the shadows fly right through your body
and then I know that you don't really exist.
You're just a reflection in this midsummer dance.
I feel my heart pounding faster ever than before,
I must have stopped breathing. The image of you fade.
And now I know why had the strong feeling that I must find
this place you once described and to see your final dance.
Will we ever meet again? No!
OH, YOU'RE IN THE TWILIGHT WORLD TONIGHT...
They fade away and so do I.
You're gone, I'll always wonder why you came
and made me realize that you exist there in the twilight sky.
Is this a dream or plain reality?
It feels more like a trip to what I never thought I'd see.
Suddenly fear took a hold on my mind.
I had to move away unless I would go blind.
OH, YOU'RE IN THE TWILIGHT WORLD TONIGHT...
I, I know the answer now.
To die I am no longer afraid somehow.
So fade away...
[Music and lyrics by: Dan Swan�?]
[Arranged by: Dan Swan�?/Benny Larsson]
[Keyboards by: Dan swan�?]
02 Of Darksome Origin (05:02)
I am immortal. I am strong. I am godforsaken.
I am in command and nothing will go wrong.
I am eternal. I am blessed. I will awaken.
I am the reason to why all dead can't rest.
Evil. I feel the darkness growing in my soul.
Power. join me, the nightly, I am in control.
OF DARKSOME ORIGIN. BRING LIFE TO THE DEAD.
THEY ARE MY SOLDIERS WHO SOON SHALL BE FED.
Die! Of darksome origin. They call me the bringer of torture.
They've named me the lord of hate
But the things I've done this far is nothing.
The head of this world on a plate.
I am invincible. I am the one.
The greatest tyrant. The darkest son.
I am thy master. I am king.
You know you will be dead when I am gone...
No use of trying to challange, I've already won.
Fear me. I am the king of what you stand upon.
OF DARKSOME ORIGIN... Uncrucified.
I awoke = Jesus died.
Feeding of impurity. Creator lies --- I.
Heaven is burning. I can feel the holy smell.
Flames descending. Bringing life to the ones in hell.
Blackness rising and now the time has come to pray...
No use loser, your life is what I take away!
OF DARKSOME ORIGIN...
[Music and lyrics by: Dan Swan�?]
[Additional music and lyrics by: Dread]
[Arranged by: Dan Swan�?/Dread/Sami Nerberg/Benny Larsson]
[Backing vocals by: Dread]
03 Blood-Colored (04:00)
I hear the sound of darkness
moving closer to my ears.
All alone and wounded I lie here
resembling all the years.
This war is over for mankind.
The X-machines will end us all.
Technology is fatal. We will see the future
and then we fall.
Thunder and Lightning.
The rain is whipping my naked skin.
Screaming. Dying in sin.
BLOOD-COLORED.
THE X-MACHINES JUST WIPED AWAY ALL LIFE.
THE BLOOD-COLORED SKY
IS THE ONLY THING
THAT WILL LIVE WHEN I DIE.
All dead, all gone, all hope is lost.
They came from nowhere to end our race.
I see the center of the world,
it's now a desert that no wind will embrace.
Dark formations,
shadows laugh. I lie here waiting for the end.
I know they will send the last ones down to make sure
that we all descend.
Nightmares come true. Why can't I put myself away??
Dying inside. Or am I already dead??
BLOOD-COLORED...
Women and children screaming in pain.
I hear the sound of darkness moving closer to my ears.
This war is over for mankind. The X-machines will end us all.
Technology is fatal. We will see the future and then we fall.
Thunder and Lightning. The rain is whipping my naked skin.
Screaming. Dying in sin.
BLOOD-COLORED...
[Music and lyrics by: Dan Swan�?]
[Additional lyrics by: Dread]
["Lead" by: Dan Swan�?]
[Arranged by: Dan Swan�?/Benny Larsson]
05 Black Tears (03:15)
When I'm in this state of mind
I'm wishing I was blind.
Sometimes life is more than pain, to me
I feel the power of my grief.
Death would be such a relief.
All the secrets that I hide would die, with me.
Depression is my only friend.
Will this torture never end?
Let me carry on to the dreamers sky.
I keep crying in my dreams.
Can you hear my endless screams?
When I fade away I fade, away.
This fluid on my cheek, it drains me I Get weak.
My heart is cold & Bleak
BLACK BLOOD. BLACK TEARS.
Life is just a masquerade. In debt to myself,
but I can't pay. Soon I'll call it all a day, away.
I've never felt what you call guilt.
I still believe "Do what thou wilt"
My sorrow will destroy the world I've built.
This fluid on my cheek, it drains me I Get weak.
My heart is cold & Bleak
BLACK BLOOD. BLACK TEARS.
06 Elegy (03:57)
Crying. The anger and sorrow in your eyes is shining
thru your disguise, you can not hide all youer lies!
Falling. The abyss you enter is so deep, it doesn't
matter how much you will weep, you will never reach
the ground again. You're draining your emotions,
the poison is your God. Injection for depression. The
needle is your rod. Your heart will never feel. The
love that it will steal.
[Chorus:]</i> NEXT TIME YOU SEE THE STARS ALIGHT,
LIKE DIAMONDS IN THE WINTER NIGHT. DO THINK
OF ME, REMEMBER ME. SO READS MY ELEGY. NEXT TIME I
SEE THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT LIKE WHITE EYES IN THE
DARKENED LIGHT, I'M FREE NO CHAINS ARE HOLDING ME.
BUT STILL I LIVE BY YOUR ELEGY.
Leaving. The world I leave will never know. But below
you will see my glow and the fire shall be eternal.
Weeping. The tears you cry, I know the taste. Can't
you see they're such a waste. You can never bring
me back again. You'll never know what happened but I
couldn't go on. It felt like I was running a race
that no man ever won. My soul will always love the
ones I am far above...
[Chorus]
Tears are falling... Tears are falling in the dark.
Your fears are calling. I've left my mark.
Burning. The flames that rise will be my end. So on for
now I will pretend that I am back on earth again.
Lonely. The shadows haunt me as I burn. Now I know
there is no return. My soul will slowly turn to dust.
I'm passing thru dimensions where noone's ever been.
I'm heading for the secrets that no man's ever seen.
What lies below will I ever know??(!?)
[Chorus]
[Music and lyrics by Swan�?;]
[Additional music by Dread]
[Arranged by Swan�?/Dread/Nerberg/Larsson]
[Harmony guitar by Swan�?;]
08 Enter Chaos (02:24)
Freedom = fuck! People secure their freedom with a gun.
They have lost faith in everything even in themselves.
Gun-propaganda from the land of the free - "The land of pain and misery".
We must be able to protect ourselves.
What!? Face a gun with a gun??? (!!!)
Violence breeds violence, death is the only outcome.
Hate breeds hate. Transform to chaos.
CNA'T YOU SEE IT? ARE YOU BLIND? A FUCKING WARGAMS OF MANKIND.
WITHOUT VOICE, WITHOUT CHOICE THE WORLD WILL ENTER CHAOS!
"With my gun, I am safe" Kiss my ass!!
You still live in fear! Spare me the pain to live in bullet rain.
Fear is the cause that triggers the pain
that leads us to blow out each others brains.
Gun-propaganda from the land of the free - "The land of pain and misery".
We must be able to protect ourselves.
What!? Face a gun with a gun??? (!!!)
Violence breeds violence, death is the only outcome.
Hate breeds hate. Transforms to chaos...
CAN'T YOU SEE IT? ARE YOU BLIND?... CHAOS!!
[Music and lyrics by Dread]
[Arranged by Dread/Larsson]
[Lead 1/3 Nerberg]
[Lead 2/4 Dread]
09 The Sinner and the Sadness (03:06)
Born a slave. Chains since day one.
From the cradle to the grave you'll be
"the holy son". Raised to obey. Taught
to see the light. Forced to pray and to
praise the "fathers" might. I can see. I can
hear. Mass indoctrination. Then the truth
will appear, mental devastation.
MY SINS WILL BE FORGIVEN, THE BEGINNING OF THE
MADNESS. I FEAR NO FOE FOR I AM ETERNAL.
AIN'T GONNA FEEL NO GRIEF. THE SINNER AND THE
SADNESS. I F**K THE LAW I KILL IN THE NAME OF CHRIST.
I am sick. I believe that I am the new Messiah.
The sinner you can retrieve.
I am the god of christianity. Born to sin and
To have them all forgiven. A deceiver, no believer.
You're sick you holy fake. Night and day, anyway,
I benight the unpure. Live in sin. And where I've
Been?? I have blessed a whore!!
TO DEATH YOU WILL
BE DRIVEN. THE BEGINNING OF THE MADNESS. I FEAR NO
FOE FOR I AM ETERNAL. AIN'T GONNA FEEL NO GRIEF.
THE SINNER AND THE SADNESS. I F**K THE LAW. ALL IN
THE NAME. ALL IN THE NAME OF CHRIST.
I am the new Messiah. I am the god of fire.
I will make you bleed.
Christianicide. To the cross - crucified.
Christianicide. I will laugh - lies denied
MY SINS WILL BE FORGIVEN, THE BEGINNING OF THE
MADNESS. I FEAR NO FOE FOR I AM ETERNAL.
AIN'T GONNA FEEL NO GRIEF. THE SINNER AND THE
SADNESS. I F**K THE LAW I KILL IN THE NAME OF CHRIST.
10 Song of Sirens (02:33)
War world now. Hear the song of the sirens. Then silence won't be for long. Hear the digging. All grave, too soon? Earth Pompeii. The second moon. BEACHWORLD... AND THE SONG OF SIRENS TO THE BEACHWORLD... AND THE SONG OF SIRENS. Kill all air. Smoke the ground. Neverflow. Bleeding trees. End all time. Dismembered sun. Living Death AND TO THE BEACHWORLD... AND THE SONG OF SIRENS TO THE BEACHWORLD... AND THE SONG OF SIRENS War world now... [Music by Swan�?/Dread/Nerberg] [Lyrics by Nerberg/Dread] [Arranged by Swan�?;/Dread/Nerberg/Larsson] [Vocals by Nerberg/Dread]
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