Trademarks include concept albums focusing on social, environmental, philosophical, and emotional issues as well as songs that incorporate complex rhythms and time changes but retain flowing melodies.
The band was formed by Gildenlöw in 1984 under the name Reality. The band used to participate in many music contests in their homeland of Sweden. The first EP, Hereafter, was recorded in 1996 under the monicker Pain of Salvation, which has been the name of the band since 1991. The Lineup of the band was the same for their first official full length album, Entropia(1997).
After the departure of Daniel Magdic for continuing disagreements with the others over committing to the increasing demands of the band, the band recorded One Hour By The Concrete Lake(1999), a concept album about the issues of nuclear power/waste, disposition of indigenous peoples,industry and human discovery. The band began to receive more attention from critics and magazines all around the world. In 1999 they also played at the famous ProgPower festival in The Netherlands.
Their third and most famous album, The Perfect Element I was released in 2000 and received a great response from the crowd and critics, making them the second most famous Progressive Metal band over the world: a success confirmed by their fourth album, Remedy Lane (2002), a semi-autobiographical album written by Daniel Gildenlöw about loss, love, and life.
2004 saw the release of two different albums, an acoustic live show recorded at Eskilstuna called 12:5 where the band played most of their old famous songs rearranged, and the epic concept album about the origin of humanity and God called BE: It was the first album to divide the fan base in opinion, due to its musically experimental and philosophical nature; and perhaps also its lack of cohesive progressive metal pieces.
BE album was also released in a special DVD edition called BE: The Original Stage Production (2005). With a live CD recorded during the 2003 presentation of the album and a DVD rappresentation from the same dates.
On 21 February 2006, Kristoffer Gildenlöw was asked to leave the band due to him not being able to attend rehearsals, since he lived in Holland and the band lived in Sweden. Kristoffer has a solo album planned for the future, as well as a side project called Dial.
The new album, Scarsick, was released on January 22, 2007. It is more band oriented than BE, with Daniel Gildenlöw playing bass in the studio. Recent interviews with Daniel have revealed that Scarsick is, in fact, the second part of The Perfect Element, confirming the speculation of many fans.
A European tour to support the new album has been announced (it started February 17, 2007). The band will be playing with Simon Andersson, a new replacement bassist on this tour. On the 10th of March, after the Copenhagen show, Simon Andersson was welcomed into Pain of Salvation as a full member. The band issued this message on their website:
He (Simon Andersson) did an outstanding job on the tour and we are looking forward to the coming years with great anticipation. Since his girlfriend is a huge Pain of Salvation fan, we happily expect to see this decision put a little silver lining on their sex life as well, since she can now all of a sudden go to bed with a member of the band :-) Congratulations Simon, and welcome to the family!
In May 2007 it was announced that drummer Johan Langell had decided to leave the band to spend more time with his family.
For Progressive Nation 2009 Tour the band took a new bass guitar player - Per Schelander.
According to their website, there is a new EP "Linoleum" due in November 2009, while a double album "Road Salt", consisting of two parts (Ivory and Ebony) is recorded and to be released in 2010, 2011.
Current lineup:
Daniel Gildenlöw – vocals, guitar
Johan Hallgren – lead guitar, backing vocals
Léo Margarit - drums
Gustaf Hielm - bass guitar, double bass, vocals (1992–1994, 2011–present)
Daniel "D2" Karlsson – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
Former members:
Daniel Magdic – guitar, backing vocals
Kristoffer Gildenlöw – bass guitar, double bass, backing vocals
Johan Langell – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Magnus Johansson - bass guitar (1990)
Joakim Strandberg - bass guitar (1984–1990)
Mikael Pettersson - drums (1984–1990)
Fredrik Hermansson – keyboards
Simon Andersson - bass guitar, backing vocals (2007-2008)
Per Schelander - bass guitar, backing vocals
Ragnar Zolberg - guitar, vocals, mandolin
Ashes
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I read in those ash eyes we've been through hell
I've walked with the weakest just to feel strong
You've given your body just to belong
Let's burn together
Let's burn together
These scars will never mend
I taste your sorrow and you taste my pain
Drawn to each other for every stain
Licking the layers of soot from your skin
Your tears work my crust to let yourself in
Touching you harder
Touching you harder now
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind...
Now?
This pain will never end
Our scars will never mend
Cleansing sweat
We are just using each other
Too depraved to stay alive
But too young to die
And we hurt
Thus we hurt
Scrubbing it harder
Too late to back out now
Scrubbing it even harder
As these two broken barren desolate disordered words collide
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind
Now?
This pain will never end
These scars will never mend
Damn this dirty bed
Damn this dirty head
The song "Ashes" by Pain of Salvation is a powerful representation of a toxic, destructive relationship that two people cannot let go of. The lyrics delve into the twisted, painful dynamic between two individuals who are drawn to each other by their shared experiences of pain and trauma. The first stanza speaks to the recognition that the two individuals may have of each other's struggles, despite the fact that they claim to not know each other. The singer describes reading in the other person's eyes, seeing the ashes of their shared past, and being drawn to each other in spite of themselves.
The chorus "Let's burn together" is a reference to the flames of their shared pain that the two individuals want to experience together. In the second verse, the singer describes the intensity of the physical connection that they share, how touching each other harder is a necessary part of the pain they both seek. The repeated refrain of "This pain will never end, our scars will never mend" demonstrates the cycle of harm that the two people have gotten themselves into, unable to break away from each other even though they know it is causing them pain.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of both desperation and obsession, along with the realization that their relationship is a kind of addiction that they cannot seem to quit. By the end of the song, the two individuals are depicted as being so damaged and desolate that their only refuge is in one another, sharing the pain that they know so well. The song is a painful but poignant representation of the complex and destructive nature of human relationships, especially those that are built on shared trauma.
Line by Line Meaning
You claim I don't know you, but I know you well
Although you might deny it, I understand you deeply
I read in those ash eyes we've been through hell
The fire we're walking in is nothing compared to the hell we've already been through
I've walked with the weakest just to feel strong
I've experienced weakness as well, and I'm doing this to prove something to myself
You've given your body just to belong
You've sacrificed yourself for the hope of fitting in somewhere
Let's burn together
Our suffering is shared and let's go through it together
This pain will never end
Our suffering is terminal and permanent
These scars will never mend
Even after the flames are gone, the wounds they created cannot be healed
I taste your sorrow and you taste my pain
We're sharing and consuming each other's suffering
Drawn to each other for every stain
We're connecting through the faults and the mistakes we've made in life
Licking the layers of soot from your skin
I'm trying to clean you from all the dirt and the impurities of our shared past
Your tears work my crust to let yourself in
Your sadness and vulnerability are slowly breaking down my barriers, so you can come closer
Touching you harder
We're getting more intimate with one another
Touching you harder now
Our shared pain is bringing us emotionally closer, and we're exploring that connection
As we walk through the ashes
We're traversing through the destruction and ruin, together
I whisper your name
I'm confiding in you, exposing my vulnerability to you
A taste of pain to cling to
Our shared pain is becoming something we only hold onto, becoming foundational to our relationship
You whisper my name
You're also sharing your mortal fears and deepest emotional states with me
Who's the one with the sickest mind...
Both of us are broken in some uncertain way, and neither is better than the other
This pain will never end
Once this connection of pain is established between us, it will last forever
Our scars will never mend
We won't be able to escape the damage we've caused each other
Cleansing sweat
Our cathartic experience of burning together is the only way to wash away the pain of the past
We are just using each other
Neither of us can offer the other one anything besides the shared burden of our pain
Too depraved to stay alive
We're both too wounded and broken to continue living, in some metaphorical sense
But too young to die
Despite this emotional brokenness, we still have too much to do and too much potential to waste our lives now
And we hurt
The shared pain and catharsis is still hurting us, but we can't stop doing it
Thus we hurt
Our pain is now fueling itself, perpetuating the cycle of suffering between us
Scrubbing it harder
As time goes on, our need for each other and our mutual suffering gets ever more intense
Too late to back out now
We are now too far invested in this relationship of mutual pain and catharsis, we cannot escape it
Scrubbing it even harder
We are now pushing our limits for shared pain and catharsis, going beyond what we ever thought was possible
As these two broken barren desolate disordered words collide
The combination of our shared pain, our brokenness, and our damaged past is creating an explosion between us
Damn this dirty bed
This shared relationship of pain and catharsis is dirty, it is damaging to both of us, yet we still cannot stop doing it
Damn this dirty head
Our minds are also stained by the sorrow, the guilt, the pain of our shared past, yet we cannot simply forget it and move on
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DANIEL GILDENLOEW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnybanana6180
ASHES:
You claim I don't know you, but I know you well
I read in those ash eyes we'veYou claim I don't know you, but I know you well
I read in those ash eyes we've been through hell
I've walked with the weakest just to feel strong
You've given your body just to belong
Let's burn together
Let's burn together
This pain will never end
These scars will never mend
I taste your sorrow and you taste my pain
Drawn to each other for every stain
Licking the layers of soot from your skin
Your tears work my crust to let yourself in
Touching you harder
Touching you harder now
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind...
Now?
This pain will never end
Our scars will never mend
Cleansing sweat
We are just using each other
Too depraved to stay alive
But too young to die
And we hurt
Thus we hurt
Scrubbing it harder
Too late to back out now
Scrubbing it even harder
As these two broken barren desolate disordered words collide
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind
Now?
This pain will never end
These scars will never mend
Damn this dirty bed
Damn this dirty head been through hell
I've walked with the weakest just to feel strong
You've given your body just to belong
Let's burn together
Let's burn together
This pain will never end
These scars will never mend
I taste your sorrow and you taste my pain
Drawn to each other for every stain
Licking the layers of soot from your skin
Your tears work my crust to let yourself in
Touching you harder
Touching you harder now
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind...
Now?
This pain will never end
Our scars will never mend
Cleansing sweat
We are just using each other
Too depraved to stay alive
But too young to die
And we hurt
Thus we hurt
Scrubbing it harder
Too late to back out now
Scrubbing it even harder
As these two broken barren desolate disordered words collide
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind
Now?
This pain will never end
These scars will never mend
Damn this dirty bed
Damn this dirty headYou claim I don't know you, but I know you well
I read in those ash eyes we've been through hell
I've walked with the weakest just to feel strong
You've given your body just to belong
Let's burn together
Let's burn together
This pain will never end
These scars will never mend
I taste your sorrow and you taste my pain
Drawn to each other for every stain
Licking the layers of soot from your skin
Your tears work my crust to let yourself in
Touching you harder
Touching you harder now
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind...
Now?
This pain will never end
Our scars will never mend
Cleansing sweat
We are just using each other
Too depraved to stay alive
But too young to die
And we hurt
Thus we hurt
Scrubbing it harder
Too late to back out now
Scrubbing it even harder
As these two broken barren desolate disordered words collide
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind
Now?
This pain will never end
These scars will never mend
Damn this dirty bed
Damn this dirty head
@sirmarcusninguemsantana5068
Ashes
Pain Of Salvation
You claim I don't know you, but I know you well
I read in those ash eyes we've been through hell
I've walked with the weakest just to feel strong
You've given your body just to belong
Let's burn together
Let's burn together
This pain will never end
These scars will never mend
I taste your sorrow and you taste my pain
Drawn to each other for every stain
Licking the layers of soot from your skin
Your tears work my crust to let yourself in
Touching you harder
Touching you harder now
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind...
Now?
This pain will never end
Our scars will never mend
Cleansing sweat
We are just using each other
Too depraved to stay alive
But too young to die
And we hurt
Thus we hurt
Scrubbing it harder
Too late to back out now
Scrubbing it even harder
As these two broken barren desolate disordered words collide
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind
Now?
This pain will never end
These scars will never mend
Damn this dirty bed
Damn this dirty head
@Thomesinas
You claim I don't know you, but I know you well
I read in those ash eyes we've been through hell
I've walked with the weakest just to feel strong
You've given your body just to belong
Let's burn together
Let's burn together
This pain will never end
These scars will never mend
I taste your sorrow and you taste my pain
Drawn to each other for every stain
Licking the layers of soot from your skin
Your tears work my crust to let yourself in
Touching you harder
Touching you harder now
As we walk through the ashes
I whisper your name
A taste of pain to cling to
As we walk through the ashes
You whisper my name
Who's the one with the sickest mind now?
@HHenriquesMMoura
2020 and still there isn't ANYTHING, ANY BAND nearly as good as this one. Pain Of Salvation IS A FREAKING TIMELESS MASTERPIECE!!! (i miss the original formation, though).
@trasht
True! I allways return to this album
@seankw5827
You probably haven't heard of leprous. They are my favorite band. This is my second favorite. I think you will like them if you like pain of salvation
@brandontadday6288
Probably the most tasteful and well-delivered song covering the topic of sexual abuse that's ever been written. Every day I work with people who have experienced this form of trauma and the way in which Daniel's lyrics highlight the complexity of attachment, sense of shame and prolonged psychological trauma involved in sexual abuse is frighteningly accurate.
@TheSteveKlattProject
One of my all time favorite bands. So diverse, so skilled, so unique. I had the pleasure of seeing them live last year. I was so close to the stage I could literally grab Daniel's leg lol. They are also one of my biggest musical influences.
@WarhawkBeyond2040
Absolutely bone chilling as only Pain Of Salvation can deliver with Daniel's spine tingling voice.
@qlczas
I have been haunted by this song since I first listened to the "Perfect Element"...
@thenoble39
It's super haunting
@betinmeistika
2019
Tons of new albums out there. And i'm still listening to this!
@88omair
Because this is timeless