Pain of Salvation is a progressive rock band from Eskilstuna, Sweden. The b… Read Full Bio ↴Pain of Salvation is a progressive rock band from Eskilstuna, Sweden. The band centres on lead vocalist, guitarist, composer, and writer Daniel Gildenlöw.

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

Eleven
Pain of Salvation Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I run my calm on fumes
I run my calm on fumes

I've let you have your way around
But I'm warning you
I'm warning you
You push me just that one more time
And I'm done with you

Oh I'm done with you

Down to the bone
I go with the wild
You're down to the bone
I go with the wild
Eleven
Eleven

I run my calm on fumes
I run my calm on fumes

I've made my peace with cut and bruise
A long time ago
Used to be so small
But know I've listened to your last excuse
See I'm stronger now
So much stronger now

All muscle and bone
I go with the wild
All muscle and bone
I go with the wild
Eleven
Eleven
Eleven
I go with the wild
You're down to the bone
Eleven
I go with the wild
You're down to the bone

Eleven
Muscle and bone
Eleven
Down to the bone
Eleven
I go with the wild
Eleven
You're down to my bone

Eleven
I go with the wild

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the song "Eleven" by Pain of Salvation seem to be describing a situation where the singer has reached their limit with someone who has been pushing their patience. The repetition of "I run my calm on fumes" suggests that the singer is close to losing their cool, and the warning that they give that person in the second verse shows that there is a possible explosive confrontation brewing. The lines "down to the bone, I go with the wild" implies that the singer is ready to let loose and face whatever may come, and the repetition of "Eleven" drives this point home. Overall, the song seems to be about someone who has finally reached their boiling point and is ready to let all hell break loose.

It's interesting to note that the number 11 is not only repeated throughout the song, but is also a significant number in numerology. Eleven is thought to represent intuition, sensitivity, and spiritual awareness, which could add another layer of meaning to the song. Another interesting fact about the song is that it contains a heavy use of distorted guitar riffs and a driving rhythm, which adds to the overall sense of urgency and tension in the lyrics. The song was released in 2007 as part of Pain of Salvation's album "Scarsick" and was well-received by both fans and critics. The band has been known for its introspective and socially conscious lyrics, and "Eleven" is no exception.

Line by Line Meaning

I run my calm on fumes
I am barely holding it together emotionally

I've let you have your way around
I have allowed you to control me

But I'm warning you
I have a limit and you are almost at it

You push me just that one more time
If you hurt me again, I'll be done with you

And I'm done with you
I will no longer tolerate mistreatment from you

Down to the bone
I am completely exposed and vulnerable

I go with the wild
I follow my untamed, instinctual nature

You're down to the bone
You too are vulnerable and exposed

I've made my peace with cut and bruise
I have accepted pain and injury as a part of life

Used to be so small
I used to be weak and easily manipulated

But know I've listened to your last excuse
I am done with listening to your lies and excuses