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
Ending Theme
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
First step down remedy lane
Budapest you tore my world apart, well, here I am
Worn with rope ends on my mind, torn with blood scarred in my eyes
But now I'm back to shake that from my life
Ending theme, ending theme
Ripping at the seams, for an opening
Back again at deak ter
I know I could have left her there
It was the feeling of leaving myself that I could not bear
The same old hotel room in pest one night before the sziget fest
Hungarian princess will you share my rest?
To rest in my
Ending theme
Ending theme
Ripping at the seams, for an opening
To be honest I don't know what I'm looking for, who to be
Sitting here as once before, weeks ago
Just waiting for a knock on that door
And I have left all I thought was me to find out, to make sure if it was you or me
That made me feel so free and real, but when we kiss I don't know, I just don't know
'Cause it leaves a taste of emptiness, and I think what if I'm simply depressed?
blind, just finding rest from my mind here in Budapest?
Confusing zest with the joy of being blessed with the bliss of self-escape as we kiss?
And mixing my being unstressed with your being undressed and the taste of being true
With the fresh taste of me and you as we touch? I don't know
But I saw so much of me in you, the me I've missed, the young and free in you
But still, that doesn't mean a thing, may not mean anything about my needing you
But I guess we had to meet, to be near, to make sure, and still my dear
Beyond this bed and that door, to be honest, I fear I just don't know
Ending theme
Ending theme
Fanning flames to dreams of belonging
Ending theme
Ending theme
Ripping at the seams, for an opening
To be honest I don't know what I'm looking for
Lying here, watching you leave through that door
The Pain of Salvation's song "Ending Theme" is a highly personal reflection on a journey to Budapest, Hungary. The singer finds himself back in the city, hoping to rekindle something that may have been lost or left behind the first time he visited. He reflects on his mixed emotions, feeling confused about what he is looking for, but still driven to move forward.
The song expresses a deep sense of restlessness and searching, with heart-wrenching lyrics about leaving oneself behind and seeking a connection with others. The references to a hotel room and a Hungarian princess lend an air of mystery, while the repeated refrain of "ending theme" emphasizes the feeling that this search may be coming to a close.
The chorus "Ripping at the seams, for an opening" reinforces the belief of trying to break through the barriers that life has put in front of you and finding the direction towards your destiny. It's a powerful song that speaks from a personal place but still has relevance and resonates with audiences far beyond its borders.
Line by Line Meaning
And so I find myself here once again
I am back in Budapest, where my world had once fallen apart, and now I am taking the first steps towards healing.
First step down remedy lane
I am starting my journey towards healing and recovery.
Budapest you tore my world apart, well, here I am
Budapest was the site of my pain and trauma, but I have returned to face my past and move forward.
Worn with rope ends on my mind, torn with blood scarred in my eyes
I am struggling with memories and emotions that are weighing me down and causing me pain.
But now I'm back to shake that from my life
I am determined to let go of my pain and to start living a better life.
Ending theme, ending theme
The recurring patterns in my life that keep leading me to pain and suffering.
Ripping at the seams, for an opening
My pain is tearing me apart, but I am hoping to find a way through it to a better life.
Back again at deak ter
I am back at the Deák Ferenc Square in Budapest, where my troubles began.
I know I could have left her there
I could have left my old life behind and moved on, but I needed to confront my pain and trauma.
It was the feeling of leaving myself that I could not bear
Leaving my old life behind meant leaving a part of myself behind as well, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing that part of me.
The same old hotel room in pest one night before the sziget fest
I am back in the same hotel room in Budapest the night before the Sziget Festival, where my troubles began.
Hungarian princess will you share my rest? To rest in my
I am looking for someone to share my bed with, to soothe my pain and keep me company.
To be honest I don't know what I'm looking for, who to be
I am lost and confused, unsure of who I am or what I want from life.
Sitting here as once before, weeks ago
I am back in the same place where I once sat weeks ago, contemplating my life and my pain.
Just waiting for a knock on that door
I am waiting for someone to come into my life and provide me with direction and purpose.
And I have left all I thought was me to find out, to make sure if it was you or me
I have left behind everything I thought I was, to try and understand who I am and what I need from a relationship.
That made me feel so free and real, but when we kiss I don't know, I just don't know
My relationship with this person makes me feel alive and free, but I am unsure if it is real or if I am just escaping my pain.
'Cause it leaves a taste of emptiness, and I think what if I'm simply depressed?
My relationship leaves me feeling empty and I worry that I am using it to escape my depression.
blind, just finding rest from my mind here in Budapest?
Am I blind to my own pain, using Budapest as a way to escape my problems rather than face them?
Confusing zest with the joy of being blessed with the bliss of self-escape as we kiss?
Am I mistaking my passion for this person for a sense of purpose and joy in my life, when really it is just a way to escape my pain?
And mixing my being unstressed with your being undressed and the taste of being true
Am I mistaking the feeling of being with this person for being true to myself, when really it is just a temporary escape from my problems?
With the fresh taste of me and you as we touch? I don't know
My relationship with this person is intoxicating and confusing, and I am unsure if it is what I need to heal and move on from my pain.
But I saw so much of me in you, the me I've missed, the young and free in you
I see parts of myself in this person that I miss and mourn, a more carefree and happy version of myself.
But still, that doesn't mean a thing, may not mean anything about my needing you
Just because I see parts of myself in this person doesn't mean that they are what I need to be happy and whole.
But I guess we had to meet, to be near, to make sure, and still my dear
Maybe meeting this person was necessary for me to learn more about myself and my needs, but I am still unsure.
Beyond this bed and that door, to be honest, I fear I just don't know
My fear and confusion about what I want and need extends beyond just this relationship and this moment in time.
Fanning flames to dreams of belonging
My pain and confusion are fueling a desire for a sense of belonging and purpose in my life.
Ripping at the seams, for an opening
My pain and confusion are threatening to tear me apart, but I am hoping to find a way to move forward and find an opening to a better life.
Lying here, watching you leave through that door
I am watching this person leave my life and I am unsure if I am happy or sad about it.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DANIEL GILDENLOEW, PAIN OF SALVATION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ryan Saunders
How it is possible that I missed this band until now (2021) I have no idea. This is amazingly cool stuff!
Rex Pythonissam
I found this song in 2014
Bruno Leão
Better late than sorry
Trobriand el esencias
Love this album, still have my CD copy
Johnny Josefsen
This song gives me a strong The Elder Scrolls: Arena vibe, it kinda reminds me of one of the songs in that game. Don´t remember if its because the melody is similar or if it´s just the atmosphere. Regardless, this is awesome stuff.
Nathalia Tavares Jacob
Lindo demais , melhor banda
Silvestre Neto
@Bruno Leão Hj em dia querer puxar uma conversa é ser gado... geração lixo
Bruno Leão
O gado não perde a oportunidade.
Silvestre Neto
A minha preferida é "This heart of Mine", e a sua?
Paco 88
This is a good work with a good singer