Band:	Edge Of Sanity
Album:	Purgatory Afterglow
Style:	Progressive death metal
Release date:	October 01, 1994
A review by:	F3ynman

01. Twilight
02. Of Darksome Origin
03. Blood Colored
04. Silent
05. Black Tears
06. Elegy
07. Velvet Dreams
08. Enter Chaos
09. The Sinner And The Sadness
10. Song Of Sirens
11. Until Eternity Ends [2024 remaster bonus]
12. Eternal Eclipse [2024 remaster bonus]
13. Bleed [2024 remaster bonus]
14. Invisible Sun [2024 remaster bonus] [The Police cover]

Revisiting a landmark of progressive death metal, before the X-machines end us all.

In hindsight, my introduction to death metal was somewhat unusual, in that I became a fan of progressive death metal before I had even heard the old-school original. That step of my metal journey was intrinsically linked to my discovery of Metal Storm. After having delved into traditional heavy metal and thrash classics of the 1980's, I searched the internet for what top metal albums I was missing out on. That’s when I came across Metal Storm’s Top 200 album ranking, where I soon discovered Edge Of Sanity’s Crimson. It became one of my first introductions to death metal, although I did not know at the time that this was progressive and not how death metal typically sounded. Needless to say, with its endless supply of entertaining melodies, the eerie storyline, and the format of a single, 40-minute-long song that flowed so seamlessly, Crimson became my obsession for some time. Interested in what else Edge Of Sanity had to offer, I turned to 1994's Purgatory Afterglow. This is sadly where my prog death fervor came to a sudden halt. I loved the opening duo of “Twilight” and “Of Darksome Origin”, but, for whatever reason, the rest of the album paled in comparison, and I lost interest in the album for many years.

Then, in 2024, when a comprehensive remastering effort of their discography was announced by Edge Of Sanity’s frontman Dan Swanö, there awoke in me a desire to give Purgatory Afterglow another chance. Therefore, over the Christmas season, I bought the 2024 remaster, which surprisingly turned out to be composed of two CDs: the first one being a remaster, and the second being a remix. Along with Purgatory Afterglow's 10 tracks, the remaster/remix also features 4 bonus tracks: the songs from their EP Until Eternity Ends.

I'm happy to report that the purchase was well worth it, as I've found a new appreciation for Purgatory Afterglow. Let's take a closer look.

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Ever since their fittingly titled 1992 album Unorthodox, Edge Of Sanity were at the forefront of progressive death metal with their unheard-of use of melodic clean vocals and incorporating influences from prog rock, hardcore, and thrash metal. With their subsequent releases of The Spectral Sorrows and Purgatory Afterglow, the Swedish band of Dan Swanö (vocals), Andreas “Dread” Axelsson (guitars), Benny Larsson (drums), Sami Nerberg (guitars), and Anders Lindberg (bass) continuously honed their abilities at balancing progressive melodies, catchy hard rock energy, and wicked death metal riffs.

The best examples of this perfect combination of death metal and progressive melody can be found on the songs “Twilight”, “Black Tears”, and “Velvet Dreams”. The first two sport iconic main riffs that are palpable with lively energy, making even the somber lyrical themes feel vibrant. With “Twilight”’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream vibe and the entrancing visions on “Velvet Dreams”, these songs create a soothing, enjoyable trip to a realm of profound emotions: melancholy and grief, enveloped in beautiful and catchy compositions. Purgatory Afterglow exhibits faster songs, too, such as “Elegy” and “Of Darksome Origin”, although even these rapid-fire tracks are filled with plenty of elegant harmony. Featuring so many gnarly riffs, raspy secondary vocals, and a Satanic POV in the lyrics, it's clear that “Of Darksome Origin” is heavily inspired by black metal. And, unsurprisingly, as a fan of primarily extreme metal, this song is definitely a contender for my favorite here.

The rest of the songs, while not as incredible, are still very enjoyable, and my revisitation has made me appreciate the great diversity in lyrical themes as well. The Terminator-inspired “Blood Colored” features a catchy chorus about X-machines ending all life, “Silent” describes a mute person finding expression in violence, “The Sinner and the Sadness” criticizes the exploitation of Christian institutions, whereas the thrashy “Enter Chaos” advocates an anti-gun message. The tracklist is a true genre-blender, ending with the hardcore- and industrial-influenced “Song Of Sirens”. While these varying styles and themes can feel at times disjointed, the willingness to experiment brings a lot of freshness to Edge Of Sanity’s sound, proving that the Swedes are free from any shackles of genre-conformity.

As with Crimson, Purgatory Afterglow exhibits striking cover art. I recently learned that the art was created by the almighty Necrolord (who's known for his work on Storm Of The Light's Bane, Wildhoney, In The Nightside Eclipse, and many more). According to Swanö, the idea behind the title and the artwork is that Hell had been completely burnt out. There is no more fire, only an eerie afterglow remains. Sitting atop the two rock formations that one can spot in the distance are the damned cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. You can't get any more metal than that!

As I mentioned before, this 2024 reissue also features the songs from their EP Until Eternity Ends. The title track “Until Eternity Ends” displays a traditional doom-inspired groove, and “Eternal Eclipse” demonstrates equal measures of melody, death metal, and clean vocals. However, “Bleed”, a simple, straightforward death/hardcore mixture is not so remarkable, I find. Finally, Edge Of Sanity go full-on pop rock with their impressive cover of The Police’s “Invisible Sun”, showing off Dan Swanö's great clean vocals. Thus, the EP is a neat addition for the reissue, but it doesn't offer any standout tracks to truly rival the glory of Purgatory Afterglow’s highlights.

The remaster CD also came with a second CD featuring the same tracks but remixed. The main differences that I noticed in the remix are that the drums and the spoken clean-vocal parts in “Twilight” and “Black Tears” are more prominent. Actually, it reminds me of another remix by Dan Swanö that I have on CD: Storm Of The Light's Bane, where the alternative mix also featured more prominent percussion, which I've grown to prefer. In the case of Purgatory Afterglow, it's hard to say which I like more. The tracks on the remix are arguably more balanced, but it is, in the end, a very slight difference. So, the remix is worth a listen, but it's not necessarily that much better than the simple remaster.

For many fans of the band, Purgatory Afterglow ranks among the very best of the Edge Of Sanity discography, usually competing for first place alongside the epic Crimson. Deciding on which is the better album will depend on what you value more in music: cohesion or diversity. For cohesion, Crimson can't be beat. Recurring motifs and the overarching narrative ensure that the one-song album feels like a comprehensive and fulfilling journey. For diversity, Purgatory Afterglow is the clear champion. With a dizzying ensemble of styles and themes, from the groovy tunes of a robot invasion to the somber hymns of a dream-quest, Purgatory Afterglow’s cunning marriage of death metal and progressive experimentation makes their music sound supremely unique and addictively entertaining, even after 30 years.

“There is life in the afterglow…”