I have heard so many people claiming that it is so hard to "get into" Pain of Salvation's concept albums because of the depth and complexity of the music and the concept/storyline. I personally have always been able to dive right in with every album of theirs, but from what I have observed, I am a minority. So I'm wondering what you guys think about this amazing Swedish prog band overall, and especially when it comes to the complexity of the topics they address.

I love that band. At first I wasn't to thriled when I heard them and I tought it was pretty hard to get into. But it's more like....it was when I started listening to prog. It was all new. I've known them since their live accoustic album release. When BE came out, I loved it right away. I think BE is their best yet, I love martius Nauticus. The rest of the album is great too. I bought the BE DVD and it's the best DVD I've seen. Great show, great camera work and great ligth effects.

They already have some material for their next album yes ? They released the tracklist from what I can remember. Was the title like.... scars ?

Written by Nathan Lurker on 17.05.2006 at 05:45

I love that band. At first I wasn't to thriled when I heard them and I tought it was pretty hard to get into. But it's more like....it was when I started listening to prog. It was all new. I've known them since their live accoustic album release. When BE came out, I loved it right away. I think BE is their best yet, I love martius Nauticus. The rest of the album is great too. I bought the BE DVD and it's the best DVD I've seen. Great show, great camera work and great ligth effects.

They already have some material for their next album yes ? They released the tracklist from what I can remember. Was the title like.... scars ?

OK so I'm not the only one do dive right into their stuff. Good to know. I haven't seen the tracklist, but the album is called Scarsick. I agree that BE is their best album so far although I love the previous ones.

I absolutely loved the music video for Ashes and A Trace of Blood still makes me shake every time.

Yes Ashes video wsa great. It's nice that they used a part of it as the BE DVD intro. The Perfect Element is my second favorite album from Pain of Salvation. Do you like the song "the perfect element" ?? I think that when you get into it, it 's a great song. I especially like the part at 6:37. So good.

Can't wait for Scarsick and for "The Perfect Element Part 2"

The Most Amazing Progressive Metal band (Arguably )
Daniel Gildenlöw is a genius and an excellent songwriter, all ther albums are amazing concept albums. And Liked Each and every Album Of theirs specially the albums BE and The Remedy Lane.
Waiting Patiently For The new album Scarsick

DreamTheatre's reign as the best Progressive Metal Band is Under threat frm these Swedish Prog Giants.

It was kinda hard for me to get into some albums. Although BE was surprisingly the only album that I could dive right into. After that I started to appreciate Remedy Lane (Right now I don't understand what I didn't really like about the album before I started listening to it). And since a few months I'm also really into Entropia and The Perfect Element.
I have to say that I really love this band. But I already loved them before I knew The Perfect Element. I finally understand why so many people praise this album.

Written by Twilight on 17.05.2006 at 11:11

It was kinda hard for me to get into some albums. Although BE was surprisingly the only album that I could dive right into. After that I started to appreciate Remedy Lane (Right now I don't understand what I didn't really like about the album before I started listening to it). And since a few months I'm also really into Entropia and The Perfect Element.
I have to say that I really love this band. But I already loved them before I knew The Perfect Element. I finally understand why so many people praise this album.

I guess they are hard to get into then. Maybe once you become a proghead it becomes easier.

I'm not that much of a proghead or anything.
I just like to hear unique music, that's why I pushed on and listened to it again. It takes some time to find the real beauty in this music. And I don't think it's a bad thing at all. I love this music! Daniel Gildenlöw has an awesome voice and everytime when I hear him do something incredible with it it makes me shiver, because it's so great.

The band is just awesome... One of those genius bands coming from good olde Sweden...

As everyone knows the heart and soul of the band Daniel GIldenlow is just a god... He composes the musicc, the lyrics, make the artcover of the albums... he's one of the most talented guys of the metal scene maybe with Mickael Akerfeldt (and what a comparison).

I have the BE dvd which is really good but quite weird also. The dvd was filmed before Pain Of Salvation release their album called by the same name'Be' so some songs that they're performing live are modified on the album which makes this Dvd kind of UNIQUE. For example one of my favourite PoS songs 'Lilium Cruentus' is modified from the dvd to the album , the chorus changesand some lyrics and the songs change... Having heard the album before bying the dvd I was little surprised

But for Pain Of Salvation, they are IMO with Dream Theater the best progressive band that exists at the moment... their music is so inspiring, so pure...
TO show the greatness of Daniel you can check that Transatlantic a side project of Mike portnoy and Morse ... they asked for Daniel to be one of their guitar player for their tour... an allstar band asking for him ... good example heh?

Well Pain Of dalvation is a band that every Progressive fans should check for sure

To me they are leading the way of Prog metal for the new millenium even passing Dream Theater themselves.Just listen to the albums Remedy Lane and The Perfect Element and you will see why.I have all the albums of this group and was not let down by any of them.I will disagree with those of you who say BE is their best album while it is good,it is however weaker than Remedy Lane (which in my opinion is their best one yet) and The Perfect Element.I also enjoyed Entropia much more than BE.BE is a masterpiece but is by no means their best work.

IT IS their best work in my opinion. I heard the other albums. None of them I could take as a whole as much as BE. I listen to Be from the beginning to the last. When I listen to another album, I usually browse through the album songs. I don't mean to say the others album are weaker and don't stand as a whole. But be is in a whole new level, and I relate to the stuff in there much more than on other albums from them. The Perfect Element would be my second favourite, Remedy lane would be third position. That's just an appreciation level. All their albums have a slight difference in their sounds. Now, saying wich album is the best depends on what you relate to in the songwriting.

The melodies of Be, are imo the strongest so far.

Cool band indeed, is not the complexity IMO, I love Dream Theater and are equalliy complex, the problem I think they aren't catchy at all...

Written by Nathan Lurker on 29.05.2006 at 03:38

IT IS their best work in my opinion. I heard the other albums. None of them I could take as a whole as much as BE. I listen to Be from the beginning to the last. When I listen to another album, I usually browse through the album songs. I don't mean to say the others album are weaker and don't stand as a whole. But be is in a whole new level, and I relate to the stuff in there much more than on other albums from them. The Perfect Element would be my second favourite, Remedy lane would be third position. That's just an appreciation level. All their albums have a slight difference in their sounds. Now, saying wich album is the best depends on what you relate to in the songwriting.

The melodies of Be, are imo the strongest so far.

What I love is the story it tells about god and people's relations to god. That's a well nice project made by the band and songs like Lilium Cruentus are the strongest Pain of Salvation has ever made! You even get an apparition of Mike portnoy on the album or dvd I don't really remember tallking to god, what a nice guest man!!

Really ? Mike Portnoy ? I didn't know that ! Is it in the song Vocari Dei ?

My favourite song yet is Martius Nauticus II. But I usually listen to the whole album because I love each songs od BE. And the directing of the DVD is just awesome (the camera work, the visuals and the stuff they filmed and added to the show... Just perfect. Like, in the song pluvius aestivus, in the DVD)

These guys are just...incredible, easily my one of my favorite Progressive Metal bands. BE is just a masterpiece, and theyre all beyond amazing musicians. I dont think i can say anything bad about PoS.

I do appreciate POS quite a lot. I'm not into prog; music that focus on the complexity tends to loose emotion/ kind of 'catchiness'. Off course this is not always true. Nevertheless, POS seem to manage them both. You don't have the constant feeling they're making complex songs for its purpose.
they make good music, using a lot of -technically speaking- tricks.
Just my opinion off course

Great band! Daniel's criativity is just increadble, and the complexity of their music is what makes it beautyful!

they are such a good band, i liked them since the first song, good composition, great lyrics

I can't wait for their new album...I think it's out though...I'm sure that anything they put out now can't be as bad as BE...

Written by Guest on 22.06.2006 at 20:32

I can't wait for their new album...I think it's out though...I'm sure that anything they put out now can't be as bad as BE...

Scarsick isn't out. the latest news on the offial website talks about drum recordings being done. And I'd like to know what you think is bad about BE ?

Written by Nathan Lurker on 23.06.2006 at 05:08

what you think is bad about BE ?

It just seems weighted down with too much...there seems to be too much all at once and a lot of ideas aren't acted out completely...it also comes off as a tad pretensious...a lot of PoS's stuff is to me in places...don't get me wrong, I love the band and was blown away by that first track...like, all the listings and all of that...but like I said...for a concept it's pretty inconsistant...that stuff in the beginning where you have the dialogue and stuff just seems like useless discourse...

I just contridicted myself...that whole spheal was pretensious and weighted down with too much

I like a lot of their older stuff...songs like Stress, Inside, Used, Fandango...

I don't like the use of the word inconsistant there. If you've got the DVD version of Be, you know that there's a lot of different stuff, books, theories that are put inside the concept. MAYBE there's too much stuff in there at the same time, wich makes the concept "weighted down" by the amount of informations. Now, I don't believe we can say that the album was bad because of that. Musically, it was an outstanding album that went a step farther in what Pain of Salvation is. Lyrically, its was interesting and enjoyable even if you don't like the voices dialogues. Can you really say that the lyrics for inter impius and Martius Nauticus aren't great ?


Their older stuff is good too. Especially The Perfect Element. Remedy Lane was good too and wasn't redundant. Undertow is a highlight in my opinion. But I feel like thoses albums don't flow as well as Be.

Never really got into One Hour by the Concrete Lake. Entropia was good but I'm still not used to that album yet.

12-5 was amazing.

You're gonna have to like the word inconsistant there because that's how I feel hahahaha...yes, the info really does drag BE down but I suppose it's minor...

Well...you're all about simplicity with your Ambient Neo Folk project MournfulWoods so I'm sure you'd know what I'm getting at...I love simplicity itself like you do...I don't have the DVD...I live in a small town and can't buy it...I tried downloading it...no such luck there...

Yeah I know what you're getting at. I love simplicity too, even though I also like technical stuff. I think that you don't see the simplicity of Be. I think that the concept throws a lot of things in the air and it pictures an idea. Then it's up to the listener to go deeper into what's proposed by that idea. That's why I don't see it as "inconsistent". I see it as an idea rather than a gathering of many thoughts getting in the way of each other.

Also, the DVD booklet contains a text by Gildenlow that helps to understand what it's all about. so it's easier to see the big picture. The DVD is really worth watching so, if you get a source somewhere to download it, give it a try. But it's allright if you're not into Be, it's a bit different than their earlier work. I'm just really protective towards this album since it's one of my favourite ever.

On another note, has anyone here ever seen a video of Pain of Salvation jamming with Mike Portnoy ? It was a big video file (about 125 megs I think) and it was a song that I don't know. If anyone knows of that song, I'd like to know what it is.

I love this band!! Is actually one of my favourites, and i agree with that hard to get into theory, since it happened to me, the first album i listened was The Perfect Element and i didnt like it at first, but with a lot of listens i got to love that album, and then checking other works like Remedy Lane, which also took its time but i ended loving it too. An then there is Be another amazing album somewhat diferent but i love it too, maybe not as much as TPE but i think it still great. I wish i had the DVD though I've seen some song of it and it rocks! i liked the way they arrenged the scenary and used a lot of instuments.

i had the same question with you meTalcoholic
i was into them with the first song i ever heard
and they rose into me with every song of them...
i am not a proghead thought... i hate DT... i like Pos, Psychotic Waltz, Fragile Vastness and early Queensrche

to get things cleared BE is not metal...
nothing can characterize it! it is just progressive for me...
BE is a MASTERPIECE. end.

TPE is their best for me cause it is more... cachy!
Remedy Lane is the Bridge Between Remedy Lane and TPE

Entropia and OHBTCL are simpy 2 magnificant albums...

Written by Guest on 26.06.2006 at 12:29

to get things cleared BE is not metal...
nothing can characterize it! it is just progressive for me...
BE is a MASTERPIECE. end.

Sorry but you're wrong. This is definetly a Metal record. Just listen to Diffidentia. It is overall a Soft album but there's heavy parts all around that makes it Metal. Not extreme metal, but metal anyway.

because it has some heavy guitars it doesn't mean it is metal!
yes maybe Diffidentia is a metal song... but what about Imago? or Iter Impius?

i can't put a label into it!
it is stupid!
it is A MASTERPIECE!!
nothing more, nothing less...

Written by Guest on 26.06.2006 at 23:48

because it has some heavy guitars it doesn't mean it is metal!

The fact that this album includes classical instruments and folkish melodies doesn't make it "not metal" either. You see, the influences and techniques used in the songwriting are definetly a standard among the metal genre. From the use of solos to the influence of classical music, and the drumming patterns without forgetting the particular rythm guitar riffs... this is obviously metal. I do aggree that it is a soft album, but hey, we're talking metal here, not EXTREME metal.

Written by Guest on 26.06.2006 at 23:48

i can't put a label into it!
it is stupid!
it is A MASTERPIECE!!
nothing more, nothing less...

Well labeling a band is only stupid if people take it too seriously. Labeling is only to give a general idea of what you can expect of the music. That being said, I aggree it is unimportant and yes Be is a masterpiece.

i really agree at some point with you but...
i still believe it is not metal
it is somewhere between