Of course there can be a new Edge Of Sanity album. I am there.

Dan Swanö

The Watcher
Nov 3, 2001
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www.swano.com
Well..what can I say???

When I decided that Edge of Sanity couldn't go on the way it did,
I wrote a letter to each one of the guys (since we didn't live in the same city) and explained that I wanted to go on as Edge Of Sanity alone. I felt that their visions and mine clashes in a negative way

Just listen to the tracks the other guys wrote from "The Spectral Sorrows" and forward, I mean, tracks like "Feeding the Charlatan", "Enter Chaos", and half of "Infernal" and the whole of "Cryptic"..this is definately not E.O.S. material in my book.

But E.O.S. was a democrazy, even though I felt it made us standing in the shadow of the other Swedish bands..
To have a few innovative tracks and a bunch of tracks that sounds like a completely different band, was never my ideal of a great album..but it was the only way to keep everyone happy.
But after "Infernal" I felt that it was either Me or them.
I felt that Edge Of Sanity had become my project and that I was the one to carry the project on, and with a brand new line-up of similar minded people, we could take on the world.

But...
The other guys reacted, and said "So you're kicking us out!!"
Even though I didn't write it like that, that was the Sum of it all.
They go, I stay, I'm Edge Of Sanity.

But then the unthinkable happened
Black Mark and the other four teamed up and kicked me out!!!
:erk:
Months before, when I wanted to stay out of a tour, suggesting Robert Karlsson for a temporary replacement, the other guys went
"Ooohh no!! We would be killed. To do EOS without you wouldn't work..."
Based on that I felt that the chances of the other guys doing the whole thing without me or even to be putting up a fight for the bandname was equal to zero.
But like I said...they did and the result:
Them-Me 1-0
!:OMG:
..and Black mark let them make an album (That I have being paying the debts from with my soloalbum and Nightingale)

For as long as the "new" EOS existed, I didn't care.
I released albums using other names. Always thinking "This would have done so much better if I could have used the brandname I spend 7 years building" but that one was taken by a band that I once was a part of, but music they were presenting on "Cryptic" was pretty far off from what we had done together.

I still believe that, if things would have gone my way, and I could have released the follow up to "Infernal" with MY Edge Of Sanity, using the best of the musicians available at the time, it would have elevated EOS into the top spot of death metal bands...

but instead I was mentally fucked :Spin::loco:!:yuk::ill::cry::yell:o_O and sunk into a deep depression which nearly costed me my job and family.
But after a year of soulsearching I found the path (called "Moontower" ) and exorsiced the demons of the past, and recorded a unique album on my own.

When I got the news that EOS was not around anymore, I started planning for my return. And it wasn't until Black Mark made me an offer I couldn't refuse, that I finally felt that it was right to do it.

No matter what people say.
I have the right to make an EOS album on my own.
I have the right to continue the Crimson tale.
I have the right to do what ever I want, because In my world, Edge of Sanity grew to be something very personal to me and it was taken away from me one fateful meeting in the Svampen-tower here in Örebro.

The other four guys have nothing to do with my vision of EOS.
I always knew that it would have sounded better if I had played all the instruments for my tracks (Apart from some excellent drumming by Benny) I am not saying that Sami, Anders and Dread was crap musicians...they were just not the right guys to play my material.
Just the fact that I wrote all the riffs on a righthandstringed guitar played lefthanded (Just a normal guitar flipped over..the light string up, the low string down..) made them all sound so different played by someone else.

You have heard one album from them without me (Cryptic)
you will soon hear one album from me without them (Crimson II)

after that, you can give me the score.
 
Dan, we're here for you and we support your music, in whatever incarnation you choose. I greatly anticipate the new EoS Crimson II album!

I also wanted to say thank you. You've greatly affected my life with your many excellent releases, and I have broadened my musical horizons in profound ways by checking out the bands and artists that have influenced and guided you, and other favorite musicians of mine. Coming from a death metal background it's no small thing that I've gotten into Rush and Marillion lately...

I can only hope that you continue to pursue that which drives you, and that which makes you happy, and make the albums that you want to make. You have a gift, and you are a wonderful inspiration for the rest of the aspiring musicians of the world (myself included).

Keep it up!


NP: Opeth - "Karma"
 
Hey Dan, thanks for sharing that, it's nice to hear some of the background to all that, rather than the 'creative differences' thing so many bands hide behind. I had a feeling it was a little like that. I agree with your comments about Infernal and the like- there's only one song that you didn't write on that album that I can even stand listening to (although that one track is kinda cool ;)). Over the years the others did write some good songs without your involvement, but yeah, pretty much everything that I would class as 'classic EOS' had your involvement in the writing process (and this isn't mean't as an ass-kiss ;) there are songs you wrote in EOS that I also don't like :p).
I know where those that say "it's not EOS without the others" are coming from, but don't worry about them (I'm sure you're not, anyway), only you (and those close to you) know the emotions around the whole EOS thing. I hope releasing it as EOS works out, and you sell a shit load of albums, fuck knows your music deserves it (ok, NOW this post is turning into an ass-kiss :D ).

Anyway, good luck, I know Crimson II will kill :D
 
Dan Swanö said:
Based on that I felt that the chances of the other guys doing the whole thing without me or even to be putting up a fight for the bandname was equal to zero.
But like I said...they did and the result:
Them-Me 1-0

I think it's really giving them too much credit to give them a point for an album which got exactly ZERO good reviews that I can recall. heh
 
Will Crimson II feature (great) musicians like Åkerfeldt, Nordin and other probably similar-minded people?

Crimson I is one of the albums I've played the most, and I bet Crimson II will be played just as much.
 
If I had a uterus I would like to carry your baby Dan
:lol:
but seriously,I hope this album works out the way you are planning it and I hope the lyrics kick ass as much as in the first one.
Care to give us something in advance? like the storyline or something?
 
Jesus Christ, you guys are shameless ass kissers. :p

Anyhow, I appreciate the explanation, Dan, but I sense that you're holding back on something. I guess it's safe to assume that you don't really get along too well with the old EOS members. That would aptly explain why you're making a solo album and calling it EOS.

After reading your post, I'm more optimistic that this album may recapture some of the magic that EOS had, but I remain skeptical about the entire band by committee philosophy. I think that, while the songwriter is obviously the most important member of the band, every other member is quite important as well.

Well, it remains to be seen if this album will be worthy to be called an EOS disc, but Swano hasn't disappointed me in awhile.
 
Well Opethfan..
I can see your point here, but what you don't seem to understand is the fact that Edge of Sanity was never a BAND..It was a PROJECT. There were a few "bandlike moments" around Unorthodox, but it kinda faded out into the traditional Project-thing.
If there had been some kind of chemistry or something, something that would be missing when I do my thing alone, I would definately have refused to revive this project.
I mean, I will never do UNICORN without the other two guys..even though I wrote all the material, the songs sounded different one filtered by the other members. Just having them playing my material made it better. There was chemistry!! I respect that.
I never attempted to do Pan-Thy-Monium on my own either. We had magic. A unique blend of musical character that I'd never dream of trying to emulate on my own. But when it comes to Edge Of Sanity, the feeling is different.
I know I will see a lot more negative responses to the decision I am making...but I am only doing what I feel is right.
and I hope all these doubts will be silenced by the music....
Dan
 
I read awhile back on your old webpage Dan, that you never liked death metal and thats why you will quit making this type of metal? But this was said when you had hopes of Unicorn full time, maybe I misread that message or something and my memory has gotten worse w/ age...
I agree w/ Opethfan 100%! Ive been a fan since the demo days and to me EoS is the full members and I cant really see a Eos w/ out them. I cant wait for the album to come out, but to call it Eos is a bit weird...