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
Curiosity
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your love is sensual
My love will puncture your skin
My love goes all the way in
Your love is poetry
My love is sodomy
Your love is everything
We believe it's personality
But it's really sexuality
We put faith in love and honesty
But the stuff that makes our history and sets us free is
Curiosity
Curiosity
Curiosity
Curiosity
My love is physical
A shameless animal
One with all riding the wave
A childish lust feeling it's way
We pretend it's personality
But it's really sexuality.
We put faith in love and honesty
But the stuff that makes our history and sets us free is
Curiosity
Curiosity
Curiosity
Curiosity
You say love's divine
(My love is beautiful / Your love will puncture your skin / We believe it's personality)
Well baby, so is mine
See, the only time I hear you take the name of the Lord
Is when you're tied to the bed with your face against the head board
So, do you take it in vain
Then why would you take it again and again?
We pretend it's personality
But it's really sexuality.
We put faith in love and honesty
But the stuff that makes our history and sets us free is curiosity.
The lyrics of Pain of Salvation's Curiosity revolve around the idea of the contrast between two types of love, which the singer sees as being at odds with each other: his own love, which he describes as physical, animalistic, and driven by curiosity, and the love of his partner, which he sees as being more refined, conventional, and ultimately less satisfying. He contrasts their respective approaches to love in each verse, with lines like "Your love is poetry / My love is sodomy" and "My love is physical / A shameless animal," emphasizing the fundamental differences in how they see love and what each expects to get out of their relationship.
Despite the contrast, however, the singer argues that both types of love are equally valid and that the contrast between them is not a problem in itself. Instead, he suggests that it is society's tendency to over-emphasize personality and downplay sexuality that creates problems between couples. According to the singer, true intimacy and understanding are only possible when partners are willing to acknowledge and explore their sexual desires and their curiosity about each other, rather than trying to force themselves into preconceived roles or expectations.
The song's repeated chorus of "Curiosity" reinforces this message, encouraging listeners to embrace their curiosity and to be open to exploring their desires and fantasies. Ultimately, the song seems to be arguing that true love and intimacy can only be built on a foundation of mutual curiosity, honesty, and willingness to explore each other's innermost selves.
Line by Line Meaning
Your love is beautiful
The love you give is pleasing and admirable to behold
Your love is sensual
The love you give is undeniably passionate and arousing
My love will puncture your skin
The love I give can be intense and painful, leaving a lasting mark
My love goes all the way in
The love I give is all-encompassing and fully immersive
Your love is poetry
The love you give is eloquent and expressive
My love is sodomy
The love I give is raw and potentially taboo
Your love is everything
The love you give represents the pinnacle of desirability and fulfillment
My love is anything
The love I give has no boundaries or limitations
We believe it's personality
As humans, we often attribute our compatibility or connection to our personalities
But it's really sexuality
However, it is often our sexual desires and drives that truly shape our connections
We put faith in love and honesty
We hold ideals like love and honesty in high regard and trust them to guide our relationships
But the stuff that makes our history and sets us free is Curiosity
But the true source of our personal growth and liberation lies in our willingness to explore and seek out the unknown
My love is physical
The love I give is rooted in the physical sensations and pleasures it brings
A shameless animal
It is untamed and unabashed in its natural desires
One with all riding the wave
It is a shared experience, bringing us together as a whole
A childish lust feeling it's way
It is a pure and unadulterated attraction, not bound by the restrictions of adult society
You say love's divine
You speak of love as if it is holy or sacred in nature
Well baby, so is mine
But my love is just as powerful and meaningful as yours
See, the only time I hear you take the name of the Lord
I only hear you speak of religious reverence during our intimate moments
Is when you're tied to the bed with your face against the head board
When you are vulnerable and submissive, you turn to religion for a sense of relief or release
So, do you take it in vain
You use the Lord's name in a way that could be considered disrespectful or sacrilegious
Then why would you take it again and again?
If you truly believed in the divinity of love, why would you invoke that same divine power in a potentially irreverent way?
Contributed by Cooper C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.