Review by Ben for Edge of Sanity - The Spectral Sorrows (1993)

After enjoying Edge of Sanity's previous release Unorthodox quite a bit, I was chomping at the bit to give The Spectral Sorrows a listen. While it does indeed evolve the band's sound towards the brilliant high of 1996's Crimson album, its progression from that earlier release probably isn't as far as I'd expected. The melody is definitely cranked up a notch and the production is given a massive boost, but otherwise the underlying sound is pretty similar. The down-tuned, Stockholm grown, yet melodic riffs combined with Swano's fantastic death growl and splashes of creativity is what Edge of Sanity are all about and this album delivers as expected.

Strangely enough though, and seemingly against the average fan, I think I like Unorthodox a bit more. The Spectral Sorrows is a good album that lacks any classic tracks, whereas Unorthodox contained a few rippers like Enigma and When All is Said. The Spectral Sorrows is also a little bit more experimental, which while certainly not being a bad thing in general, doesn't always work in this case. Blood of My Enemies has a very different sound that fits much better on a Bathory (Viking metal period) release and just seems out of place smack bang in the middle of this album. Sacrificed fares a little better with its gothic rock tone that somehow manages to be quite entertaining.

But when the band knuckle down and do what they do best, The Spectral Sorrows shines well enough to be a worthy listen for any fan of their later work. There are 13 tracks (including a very atmospheric intro and outro), so even though a few of them don't sit terribly well with me, there is plenty on offer here. Highlights for me are Darkday, Lost and On the Other Side.