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Pain Of Salvation - Scarsick review



Reviewer:
8.0

309 users:
7.68
Band: Pain Of Salvation
Album: Scarsick
Release date: January 2007


01. Scarsick
02. Spitfall
03. Cribcaged
04. America
05. Disco Queen
06. Kingdom Of Loss
07. Mrs. Modern Mother Mary
08. Idiocracy
09. Flame To The Moth
10. Enter Rain

"We will be the first band ever who will make the Prog Metallers dance!". It was the words that Johan Hallgren told me when I had the luck to meet him the other day in Paris to talk about the new album of Pain Of Salvation, "Scarsick". Of course it was not so serious but it is for me a good way to show you that it will be a really disturbing album for the fans of the already cult band of Progressive Metal. Different, special but always extremely deep and beautiful, "Scarsick" will maybe be a "hate or love" album for some of you, but I can tell you that with time, you'll learn to love it. One more time with the band, we're in front of a really good album.

"Scarsik" is not "Remedy Lane" or "The Perfect Element Part 1". Of course POS still plays Progressive Metal don't worry, but the band took a lot of risks with this release. The fact is that "Scarsik" is a disturbing album in reason of its real differences with the previous albums of the band. Here, you'll be able to find a "Prog-Hip Hop" song ("Spitfall") or a real "Prog-Disco" one ("Disco Queen") which are both really good (with great lyrics) but evidently original and "special" when you know the Swedish combo. If the second part of the album is a little more classic, with real Progressive songs like "Kingdom Of Loss" or "Enter Rain" it's clear that you'll only "hear" first those disturbing tracks. But they're good and catchy and since that the band didn't loose its way to write good deep and beautiful music with real engaged and intelligent lyrics I'm sure that you'll quickly be addicted by the songs? if you're of course a bit open minded.

But now, I'm sure that you want to know if it is their best album right? To be honest I don't think so. "Scarsick" is so different that it's just impossible to compare it with the previous releases of our Swedish guys but even if the songs are good they don't have the quality of a song like "Used" for example. On the other hand, the performance of the musicians is just amazing (maybe the best since the beginning of POS) and Daniel Gildenlöw proves one more time that he is one of the best singers of the scene with some incredible vocal capacities (a bit like a Mike Patton who can sing Hip Hop like Grind or Funk?). "Scarsisk" is maybe not so deep and complex like the previous masterpieces of the band but there is something special in this release and with time I can tell you that you'll enjoy a lot the album.

With a perfect production some "special" songs like "Disco Queen" and of course a bunch of classy Progressive Metal ones, "Scarsick" is good album of Progressive Metal. It's different right but it doesn't mean that it's bad and if you find the time to understand the album, you'll agree with me to say that POS is still one of the leaders of the genre. If you want great Prog and want to dance (yes they promised that they will play "Disco Queen" live!) "Scarsik" will have to be in your discography.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 9
Production: 8

Written by Jeff | 11.02.2007



Guest review by
Spyroid
Rating:
7.0
An extraordinary diverse and interesting album.
I don't think any other progressive metal album has received as much hate as this one, and maybe that's what Daniel Gildenlöw wanted? Still it's their greatest commercial success (6th on the Swedish album list, most sold copies of any PoS album). How come? Lets find out.

Read more ››
published 15.11.2007 | Comments (14)


Comments

Comments: 21   Visited by: 133 users
11.02.2007 - 14:31
Hyvaarin

I can't comment on the album, but that's some pretty spooky cover art.
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"Summoned By Words Never Spoken Before..."
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11.02.2007 - 14:45
Ivor
Staff
I'll be ordering a bunch of CDs in a day, "Scarsick" among others. Change is the keyword as far as I have gathered, so I'm really excited to hear this album. I do hope that this change won't disappoint.

I.
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No friends for playing games
No foes who scorn my name
Computerized machines of steel and rust
/---/
No friends in my house on Mars
No foes in my house on Mars
I was born in my house on Mars
I will die in my house on Mars
-- Ayreon - My House on Mars
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11.02.2007 - 20:16
dancingdecember

I'm scared that dude looks so wretched... shoo shoo !!!
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i'm super, thanks for asking
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11.02.2007 - 22:39
Rating: 4
DahliaRock

well the album is such that it touches a lot of different genres... nice, but POS really messed it up! Ok the musicianship can be great, but it isn't everything! The album is boring, repetitive, and has no such emotions! It smells of commercial creation, not emotional masterpiece like the remedy or PE:P1 did! sorry to hear this album.. I am a POS fan, but am highly dissapointed! I mean, try to listen to it sometime in a week, just like you did the other albums, and you'll say "that's enough!" I did!
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12.02.2007 - 02:45
Rating: 7
Spyroid
Rosetta Stoned
Written by DahliaRock on 11.02.2007 at 22:39

well the album is such that it touches a lot of different genres... nice, but POS really messed it up! Ok the musicianship can be great, but it isn't everything! The album is boring, repetitive, and has no such emotions! It smells of commercial creation, not emotional masterpiece like the remedy or PE:P1 did! sorry to hear this album.. I am a POS fan, but am highly dissapointed! I mean, try to listen to it sometime in a week, just like you did the other albums, and you'll say "that's enough!" I did!


Totally agree. Also, the lyrics and the concept is very annoying to me... I can give it 5-6 for the musicianship, not more.
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12.02.2007 - 20:51
Rating: 9
nb

The cover art is really disturbung, I dont like it personally. The music and the concept are really strange but I have heard it several times and it is very interesting. The first part is part is very different of all POS music, but the second starting with kingdom of loss is more like the old stuff. Anyways, I like both parts, but I have to read the lyrics because I think the reasons to do songs like disco queen or america are better understood with the lyrics. There is a message to the world in there.... I would like some more guitar solos.
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21.02.2007 - 18:55
Danigar

Well Im a big fan of PoS as well and umm this one I didnt like it at all. I mean like in the review is very good to experiment and prove new things and this band is good at it. But that doesnt mean that always have to be good. Like Hybreda said the messed up this time, imo this one lacks the emotion of previous albums, and the new stuff doesnt make it enough for me sadly. Thres a couple of good songs but thats about it imo. I hope they come with a better one next time
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21.02.2007 - 19:41
Mela Muke
Account deleted
My personal opinion of this ablum is that it is truly epic, as other might have noted its not TPE or RL but by no means it is bad. Its a different route for the band certainly but I must confess I kind of like it.
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12.03.2007 - 11:11
Ireth Alcarin
Account deleted
As to me, I think it's good that they didn't go so serious as before, there's something that makes me feel they truly enjoy what they do and that feeling is stronger than my expectiation for a great new masterpiece... they've discovered their freedom and are not bound to the genre anymore
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22.04.2007 - 21:18
Rating: 9
4look4rd
The Sasquatch
Really good album, specially for the song Disco Queen, which is just as disturbing as it can get. Btw dont be scared with the "hip-hop" part, because its the vocals ^^ Daniel is far from wearing blin blin and having 5 ho's on stage =P
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25.04.2007 - 00:23
Dectac
Account deleted
How can someone say that this album is bad. Ok, its not the masterpiece of the century but it isn't their worst album. If you hate it either you are hip-hoper or whatever its called or you are american.
Mrs. Modern mother mary is one of their best songs thats all I can say.
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22.05.2007 - 22:18
carrie_st
Account deleted
i cant get enough of this album,i listen it for more then a month all the time,its not boring at all
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25.05.2007 - 17:13
Rating: 9
4look4rd
The Sasquatch
This album is another masterpiece, it is the perfect picture of todays american society.
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11.02.2008 - 19:01
+{Jonas}+
I R Serious Cat
This album kicks ass, is so fun to liosten. That's truly progressive, hehe. They're so skilled they actually made a disco song. Amazing
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"Nobody wants to be the weird kid, you just end up being the weird kid. You don't know how you ended up getting there" - Rob Zombie

http://jonas-bs.deviantart.com My dA, mainly photography, go check it out!
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04.04.2008 - 16:54
Rating: 9
4look4rd
The Sasquatch
Written by DahliaRock on 11.02.2007 at 22:39

well the album is such that it touches a lot of different genres... nice, but POS really messed it up! Ok the musicianship can be great, but it isn't everything! The album is boring, repetitive, and has no such emotions! It smells of commercial creation, not emotional masterpiece like the remedy or PE:P1 did! sorry to hear this album.. I am a POS fan, but am highly dissapointed! I mean, try to listen to it sometime in a week, just like you did the other albums, and you'll say "that's enough!" I did!


How can you call it repetitive? Honestly its far from being commercial, but it would be just awesome to hear "America" or "Disco Queen" in a american radio.
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26.02.2010 - 18:23
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Spitfall and Disco Queen are the best tracks by far. Loved the way these songs were constructed... Disco Queen is almost hilarious, and Spitfall has feeling and power bringed by the vocals that make it unique.

The rest I did not care much, but this couple make the album worth a bit.
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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07.04.2010 - 14:47
Rating: 9
Zhao
The Arkaholic
I love this album, its so hillariously genius. Defenitly moving away from the common idea of prog and doing what everyone should to: be creative.
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10.06.2010 - 23:21
Rating: 8
Evil Chip

I loved it, really I think the lyrics are much more simple than the ones in BE for example and that also reflects in the music. Cribcaged, Spitfall, Disco Queen... oh and Kingdom of Loss, this song particularly really moves me "As you're tearing down my world, please just try to do it gently", Genious. Overall a brilliant album I must say.
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07.05.2011 - 01:07
Rating: 8
BloodTears
ANA-thema
I've come to enjoy this album a lot. I remember I listened to it last year for weeks and weeks.

Very thought-provoking, a bit over the top sometimes, but still it's POS at its best.

And while I'm at it, let's listen to it once again.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.


My Instagram
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19.06.2012 - 23:03
Rating: 8
BlankFile

The message of the album is really thought-provoking and musically it has it´s good moments, for sure. A very different and interesting release. Probably the most diverse POS álbum, but at the same time the most difficult to digest aswell.
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23.11.2015 - 22:04
Foxmaiden

Man... The music Scarsick is another interpretation... Im passing on some things in my life that this music makes sense and make me see things that i... "block" or dont want to see.
It's a gread music, and sorry, but "4" on this? My god... What a hell... You know, IMO, sometimes the music serves one on another, depends on the situation!
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