| Dan Swanö commented about „Cryptic (Re-issue)“ as follows: „This album is so much better than I thought! Since I was out of the band before they started working on these songs, there was only one song I had heard in its entirety before and some odd snippets of some tunes from it over the years. Since the guys were fine with me remastering it, I had to hear it so many times over a short period that I knew every note at the end of it and I must say that I like this version of EDGE OF SANITY more than what „the other guys“ wrote for „Infernal“, where I just threw my vocal on top of what they had written, most of it first takes, and that was that. This is really potent writing from the guys, and you can hear that they really rolled up their sleeved and created the best version of what they believed to be what EDGE OF SANITY was all about. Changing singers is never easy for a band, but there are those times like this, when it works out…and the band is revitalized and reborn into something different, but still very potent. I find it sad that the guys never got to make more records with this line-up. We were lucky to get a hold of the original 1/4″ master tapes and had them transferred at 96k/24b for a killer vinyl version. The first ever for this album. The original CD release was also made a bit too loud for its own good, in its original mastering, and now it can breathe again and the most expensive production ever for the band can be heard in all its glory. And I know it might be a strange thing to say, but it might well be the best sounding EDGE OF SANITY album, recorded and mixed by the legend Ronny Lahti! The bonus CD has some cool unreleased alternate mixes that we found on the tapes and there’s a pretty around the edges sounding, yet awesome live recording of their gig at the Motala Metal Festival in 1999.„
Roberth Karlsson, EDGE OF SANITY vocalist on „Cryptic“, had the following to add: „Almost 30 years ago, after intense rehearsals, we recorded the EDGE OF SANITY „Cryptic“ in Stockholm during a couple of weeks in the summer. Serious recordings every day and partying in the evenings. It feels so good to release this sound-updated album once again, and finally on vinyl!“.
Dan Swanö additionally checked in about the „Elegy – Chapter II (Demos Comp.)“ release as follows: „„Elegy – Chapter II“ is a feast for the die-hard EDGE OF SANITY fan. Where „Elegy – Chapter I“ focused on the early demos, this one is covering the entire career of the band. There are previously unreleased remixes of „Black Tears“ and „Blood Colored“. 2024 remixes of „Murder. Dividead“ and „I Wanna Go Home“. The pre-production of the „The Spectral Sorrows“ album and the 1992 remix of „When all is Said“ was transferred from their original masters at 96kHz/24 bit for a maximum fidelity LP master. The 1992 re-recordings of „The Dead“, „Angel of Distress“ and „Blood of My Enemies“ can also be found here, straight from the master DAT. The Bonus CD contains some really cool stuff that I didn’t even know existed when we started working on these re-issues. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew there was a recording of „Immortal Souls“ from our very first rehearsal as a five piece. I checked every cassette I had (and found lots of other cool stuff…), but that version was gone. I got in touch with a guy from the U.K. that I know bought the „Euthanasia“ demo from me, and not only did he still have the demo, with the version I was looking for on it, there was one more track on there! My jaw dropped when I heard „The Day of Maturity“ for the first time in 36 years! There’s some other very lo-fi but magical sounding stuff on here: A Rehearsal version of „Jesus Cries“ that I found on an old cassette and when I asked an old friend if had the very first demo of „When all is Said“ (that I sadly never found…) instead he found two live tracks from our first ever gig in Stockholm. I had no idea that gig was even recorded! So, you’ve got „Everlasting“ and „Immortal Souls in crushing live versions! A super early, previously unreleased demo of „Lost“. An unreleased „video edit“ of the 1992 remix of „When all is Said“. The Cryptic Death cover „Kill the Police“ in a shorter, more grinding version and as if that one wasn’t necro-sounding enough, there’s the „written-while-it-was-being-played“ track „Belgium in Hell“ from…well, you guessed it…Belgium. You can read all about that fantastic trip along with memories from our first gig in March 1990 to the final gig I made with the band in June 1996 and all the ones in between throughout the massive booklet! There are also tons of unseen photos in the booklet and on the Gatefold of the LP. There are also lengthy liner notes about all the songs and lyrics for all the tracks on the LP and CD1. And of course, the instrumentals! A total of eight instrumental versions, perfect for every death metal karaoke night! And it’s all topped off with an excellent cover artwork by Mark Rudolph, which has details from all other album covers blended into one! I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in making this re-issue campaign such a magical journey…I hope you enjoyed listening and reading as much as I did tweaking and typing?!“. |
