Artist: Edge of Sanity
Label: Black Mark Records
Release Date: 9/23/03
Rating: 5 Skulls
|
|
Title: Crimson II Artist: Edge of Sanity Label: Black Mark Records Release Date: 9/23/03
Rating: 5 Skulls |
|
|
|
||
Abyss' Review:
It was with great trepidation that I initially opened my copy of Crimson II. The original is one of my favorite albums of all time, and, in my opinion, the best concept album ever made. From the moment I heard that this album would be released I didn't want to get my hopes up. There was just too much going against it. The band's last album, Cryptic, didn't even feature Dan Swano, and got very little positive press (I actually liked the album, but it was definitely a significant drop in quality from the previous Swano work). The last Swano album (and Crimson's follow-up), Infernal, was a solid album, but served as noticed that the band had probably peaked. Crimson was seven years old and Edge of Sanity aren't even a band anymore (Swano basically is EoS now), so not only was I concerned that this album would be a huge disappointment, I was frightened that it would sully the memory of one of my favorite albums.Happily, my concern was unfounded, which became deliciously obvious within minutes of me first pressing 'play'. Crimson II bursts forth with a purpose and sentimentality I've never before heard in a 'comeback'. Even my deepest hopes for this record were sorely inadequate, as I just couldn't fathom an album being this successful, this perfect. The song/album does an amazing job of referencing the original song, while at the same time standing on its own as a brilliant work. While the production might be slightly more progressive than on the first record, it isn't really noticeable, as the sounds and style immediately bring us back to the world where a child was born in a land that was infertile. A child that was born of a god or a...
A quick perusal of the cover shows a shattered Crimson tank, so it's obvious that the possessed princess rises again. The story remains as epic and suspenseful as ever. Clive Nolan has penned the lyrics this time, showing an impressive respect and understanding of the original narrative, while surpassing it in presentation and linguistics. While I won't go into the story that much, as I don't want to ruin it for anyone, rest assured that it maintains the themes of the first: Blood & betrayal; Misery & broken hope; Regret & the courage to endure. And as much as the story itself excites and pleases me, the real success of this album is in the music.
Mr. Swano has proven that a classic sound is timeless. While never affiliated with the 'Gothenburg' sound, it is undeniable that Edge of Sanity was one of the first death metal bands to successfully assimilate melodic passages into the brutal onslaught that was European death metal. They set themselves apart early on, and that is the reason that there was such a void in the heart of the underground when Edge of Sanity stopped putting out albums. And yet, despite all of the years that have passed, despite the evolution in music since, Crimson II brings the listener back to that time effortlessly, while simultaneously dominating the contemporary field. This becomes starkly obvious once the listener plays Crimson and Crimson II in succession, which will result in a near religious experience for the loyal Edge of Sanity fan. While the new record incorporates layered keyboards into the mix, they are so tactful and are woven into the overall sound so fully that you almost believe they were present in the first installment as well. The music doesn't miss a beat flowing from one album to another, be it in songwriting, production or atmosphere. The transition is seamless. Most of the music on the new album is original work, seemingly inspired by, but completely independent of its predecessor. This is where the real genius of this album rests: it is a brilliant album in and of itself, but also inseparable from its origins. In my eyes there is no Crimson I and Crimson II, there is only Crimson', it's just recently doubled in length. I can think of no better complement for a 'sequel'.
There are some repeated musical themes. The new record revisits some of the riffs and bars of the original, with slight tinkering with regard to arrangements, and does so with spectacular success. I do admit to a slight frustration in this regard, as at one point during Crimson II I always find myself wanting to scream, "Cursed to be walking in the shadows of death for a lifetime!" Luckily for me the resulting work makes me forget my urge and submerses me in its universe.
Edge of Sanity fans' moment of revelation has arrived! Of course this is Album of the Year, that's a foregone conclusion - I just hope I'm still doing this in 2010 so I can declare it Album of the Decade. One word review: Divine.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.