apanthropy

Edge of Sanity
Unorthodox
Century Media Records
Released: December 5th, 2025

Rating: 8/10

“1992 would see the initial release of the Unorthodox full-length, 12 songs at roughly 50 minutes worth of material, featuring a five-piece line-up that was fronted by one legendary Dan Swanö, Edge of Sanity would build on their efforts initially established on their 1991 debut Nothing but Death Remains. While direct and punishing upper-tempo death metal, there were progressive elements woven within the compositions that were not very common in the early Swedish scene, giving Edge of Sanity a distinct and unique tonality that allowed them to stand apart from the foundational bands of their regional scene.“

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Disc 1
1 – The Unorthodox
2 – Enigma
3 – Incipience to the Butchery
4 – In the Veins/Darker than Black
5 – Everlasting
6 – After Afterlife
7 – Nocturnal
8 – A Curfew for the Damned
9 – Cold Sun
10 – Requiscon by Pace
11 – Dead but Dreaming
12 – When All is Said
13 – Beyond the Unknown
14 – The Day of Maturity
15 – Human Aberration

Disc 2
1 – The Unorthodox
2 – Enigma
3 – Incipience to the Butchery
4 – In the Veins/Darker than Black
5 – Everlasting
6 – After Afterlife
7 – Nocturnal
8 – A Curfew for the Damned
9 – Cold Sun
10 – Requiscon by Pace
11 – Dead but Dreaming
12 – When All is Said
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The early Swedish death metal scene was arguably one of the oldest, most vibrant, and most dense extreme metal movements in Europe in the late 1980s. The evolutionary leap from first wave to second wave was marked by the establishment of critical acts such as Nihilist, Dismember, Carnage, Grave, and many others, often featuring a distinct regional tone later termed ‘buzzsaw death metal.’ Edge of Sanity appeared in 1989, firing off four solid demos between 1989 and 1990, their debut full-length was released in 1991, making them one of the earlier death metal acts in the second wave of Swedish death metal, but are often one that isn’t always credited very much in the global side of things.

1992 would see the initial release of the Unorthodox full-length, 12 songs at roughly 50 minutes worth of material, featuring a five-piece line-up that was fronted by one legendary Dan Swanö, Edge of Sanity would build on their efforts initially established on their 1991 debut Nothing but Death Remains. While direct and punishing upper-tempo death metal, there were progressive elements woven within the compositions that were not very common in the early Swedish scene, giving Edge of Sanity a distinct and unique tonality that allowed them to stand apart from the foundational bands of their regional scene.

Century Media Records has recently reissued Unorthodox on 12” vinyl and double CD. The CD version is definitive, featuring two discs, showcasing the album in the form of a new remaster on disc one and a full remix of the album again on disc two, with three additional bonus tracks, the total running time is a staggering 108 minutes in length.

Tracks such as ‘Enigma’ define the band’s progressive side with immediacy, featuring very creative lyrical structuring and vocal execution, the guitar tone is signature Swedish destruction, rife with crushing presence and body. The track is broken up into three ‘psalms,’ each furthering a sonic narrative that sways from tight and punchy death metal to fluid progressive phrasing, replete with some epic keyboard melodies that later reappear as atmospheric and dynamic lead guitar riffs. The songwriting, avoiding the simple and direct verse/chorus approach, stands out with burning strength, showcasing Swanö’s creativity and the versatility of guitar duo Andreas Axelsson and Sami Nerberg.

‘Incipience To The Butchery’ is rhythmic destruction that capitalizes on the crushing guitar tone, featuring plenty of moments filled with groove and headbanging hooks. Edge of Sanity were capable of injecting groove and rhythmic structuring into their guitar riffs without it turning into something less than death metal.

‘After Afterlife’ was a demonstration of the band playing a more direct and less progressive approach to death metal, one very similar to their countrymates in Nihilist, featuring, at times, punk-like rhythms and riff structures.

Cuts such as ‘A Curfew for the Damned’ and ‘Cold Sun’ were pure death metal power, utilizing a battery of techniques and writing tricks to keep the tracks in a state of constant change and variation without losing the focus on the central theme. The chromatic and melodic progressions of Swedish hardcore and punk blended near perfectly with the execution, fills, and delivery of conventional heavy metal and death metal.

Production on the remastered version of Unorthodox is, as to be expected, very guitar-forward, with huge prominence on the mid-range biting crunch of the buzzsaw frequencies. Bass is powerful and prominent, and percussion kicks the low-end peaks into high gear while maintaining a fairly quieter higher frequency, with dampened cymbal tones. On the second disc, the remix of “Unorthodox,” the guitar tone is noticeably amplified and bolstered significantly in terms of low-end presence, the bass tone is pushed forward, the bass drum presence is dialed down and the snare snaps with a pistol-like pop. Palm-muted riff segments explode with body, presence, and volume. While the change of playback between the remaster and the remix isn’t particularly surprising, it does make a noticeable difference between the two in terms of listening experience.

If you’re looking for a piece of early Swedish death metal history, definitely consider picking up this reissue while its still available. Edge of Sanity, during their relatively brief career, were doomy, progressive trailblazers razing their own path in their regional death metal scene and Unorthodox gives a glimpse of the early workings of their foundational period.

Label: Century Media Records
Band: Edge of Sanity

AJK