CoC : Edge Of Sanity - Cryptic : Review

Edge Of Sanity - _Cryptic_
(Black Mark, 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)

Woah!! Holy shit! I thought Edge of Sanity was doomed when mastermind Dan Swano left the band to pursue his solo career, but I was wrong. _Cryptic_, which features the debut appearance of new singer Robert Karlsson , is one hell of a record. Built on speed, anger, and pure unadulterated brutality, _Cryptic_ kicks it into gear from the blistering opener "Hell Written" and rarely loosens its grip on the listener's throat. The eight new songs deliver some extremely powerful music, and I'm very happy that this ain't a dud. So how has the band changed following the departure of Swano? Well, the music has lost much of its melody (as Swano fancied that sound) and is now a frenzied assault of riffs and growls reminiscent of older EoS material such as _The Spectral Sorrows_ or _Purgatory Afterglow_. Maybe a change was needed for EoS to get back into a heavier groove; Swano openly stated in many interviews that he was losing interest in EoS and wanted out. I'm giving "props" to both the new singer, Robert Karlsson, for doing a killer job on vocals and to the rest of EoS for continuing the life of a band whom many regard as innovators of both metal and extreme metal music. I'm pretty sure fans of older EoS will easily latch onto this; _Cryptic_ is a little bit simpler than past EoS works, but twice as heavy. Note: Watch for a possible first time ever U.S. tour for EoS in early 1998.

(article published 17/11/1997)

CHATS
1/1/1998	A Bromley	Edge of Sanity: On With the Saga
4/9/1997	P Azevedo	Edge of Sanity: Swano's Edge
5/10/1996	G Filicetti	Edge of Sanity: Over the Edge of Sanity
11/8/1995	G Filicetti	Edge of Sanity: On the Edge of Complete Conquest

ALBUMS
9/29/2003	C Flaaten	9	Edge of Sanity - Crimson II
4/9/1997	D Schinzel	7	Edge of Sanity - Infernal
4/18/1996	G Filicetti	9	Edge of Sanity - Crimson