Edge Of Sanity was always the wild brainchild of Dan Swanö, a musician who treated death metal like
a big playground full of strange machines and emotional traps. By the early
2000s the band name had become his personal workshop, a place where no rule
mattered and every idea could be pushed to extremes. “Crimson II” arrived in
2003 as the last chapter in that story, a sequel to the legendary “Crimson”
narrative and a full solo creation, built from Swanö’s
imagination, sweat and sleepless nights. Two decades later, it returns through Century Media with a fresh remaster and a full
remix that brings this labyrinth of progressive death metal back into the world
with renewed force.
This new
edition presents “Crimson II” as a continuous storm, divided into titled
passages like “The Forbidden Words”, “Incantation” and “Aftermath”. The music
moves with a steady pulse, growing wider or sharper depending on the moment,
always driven by Swanö’s personal writing.
The remaster opens the door to details that were buried before, sharpening the
edges without turning the sound into something modern or artificial. The remix
on the second disc stands on its own, clearer and heavier, almost like a parallel
universe version of the same story. Hearing both approaches side by side gives
the album an interesting dual life, one rooted in its original character and
one shaped through fresh 2025 engineering.
The
atmosphere across the album pulls the listener into its long narrative without
drifting or snapping the thread. Swanö’s
vocals grind, soar or narrate depending on the moment, while the guitarwork
moves confidently between aggression and dramatic tension. When “Covenant Of
Souls” or the “Aftermath” sections arrive, the energy rises naturally and shows
how carefully each shift was considered back in 2003. The added performances on
the remix disc, especially the extra vocals and solos, give an alternate
reading that honors the core identity of the album. Nothing’s ornamental,
everything drives the overarching tale forward.
“Crimson
II” remains one of those rare metal releases where the ambition is sky high and
the execution holds it together from start to finish. This 2025 edition
respects the original spirit, gives the sound a stronger body and invites
listeners old and new to dive back into Swanö’s
universe. It is an intense narrative journey with the kind of stubborn
personality that defined Edge Of Sanity from
the start, delivered here with renewed impact. Any fan of progressive death
metal will recognize how much craft and imagination lives inside these
movements, even after twenty two years.
Score: 8.0
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