The Spectral Sorrows (The Spectral Sorrows - Edge Of Sanity)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	The Spectral Sorrows - Edge Of Sanity
Date:	01/07/08 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Talented death metal with a nice melodic angle.

Disadvantages: Concessions towards accessibility are mostly disappointing.

'The Spectral Sorrows' is a natural half-way point between the densely progressive and heavy 'Unorthodox' and the more accessible death metal sound of 'Purgatory Afterglow,' and strikes a nice balance between the two. The melodic quotient is increased significantly, from the slow guitar harmonies and atmospheric sections that pervade almost every track to the occasional clean vocals, culminating in the surprising deviation of 'Sacrified,' a gothic rock song that sounds just like Sisters of Mercy. There's also a punk-influenced song in the form of 'Feedin' the Charlatan,' an effective Manowar cover that doesn't ruin the song with growled vocals as most death covers of classic heavy metal tend to, and melodic interludes in the first and last tracks.

If this is the point at which Edge of Sanity started to move towards a more mainstream sound, it's also the point at which their experiments became less coherent and more prone to failure. There are some excellent moments on this album, memorably the tremolo-picking guitar riffs of 'Darkday' that foreshadow the later sound of Amon Amarth, but a few too many deviations from the death metal sound to allow for complete credibility, particularly with the upbeat drums that often don't suit the songs at all.

1. The Spectral Sorrows
2. Darkday
3. Livin' Hell
4. Lost
5. The Masque
6. Blood of My Enemies (Manowar cover)
7. Jesus Cries
8. Across the Fields of Forever
9. On the Other Side
10. Sacrified
11. Waiting to Die
12. Feedin' the Charlatan
13. A Serenade for the Dead

Summary: Edge of Sanity's third album (1993).