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
Enter Rain
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In just a year another storm will come
To wash away an inch more blood
Its lack of hatred, politics or creed
Left us blind, open wide, our gun hands tied
For this old world has seen the worst of us
Its love worn thinner by the day
And every ounce of havoc, that we wreaked upon it
Let it rain...
Enter rain...
Exit pain
In seven years ago I'll see a man
A moment stretched out over years
His eyes just flicker and then something changed
An empty cage, a crimson bud, sprung out in mud
Let it rain
In just ten minutes I will see a child
Buying milk all dressed up in rags
And without thinking he will cover up his naked hand
To the cold, oh, and that gives me hope
Let it rain...
Enter rain...
Exit pain
"Standing"
And the rain will wash us to the bone
Leaving thousands in its trail
Cleansing all the flesh wounds
Of our time, of every crime
Of every pound of dust and grime
In two seconds I will hit the ground
A moment stretched out over years
And my eyes will flicker and then something has changed
An empty cage, a crimson bud, a street of blood
A city rose sprung out to greet the rain
You'll never remember my name
But I will love you just the same
You'll never remember my name
But I love you just the same
Just the same
Just the same
You'll never remember my name
But I love you just the same
Just the same
"Falling"
Enter rain...
(A city rose)
(A street of blood)
In two seconds I will hit the ground...
The lyrics of "Enter Rain" are somewhat poetic, and thus open to interpretation, but there are a few clear themes that emerge. Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on the power of nature to cleanse and renew, as well as its capacity to unify and heal in the face of human conflict and suffering. The opening stanza speaks of a coming storm, which is presented as a sort of catharsis, an opportunity to wash away the blood and hatred that have stained the world. The idea of our "gun hands" being tied suggests a willingness to put aside our divisive impulses and embrace a more peaceful, cooperative way of being.
As the song progresses, we are presented with a series of vivid vignettes that illustrate this theme in different ways. The first is a vision of a man whose eyes flicker and change, suggesting a transformation or awakening of some kind. The second is a child, dressed in rags, who instinctively covers his naked hand to protect it from the cold. These small acts of kindness and empathy are presented as sources of hope in a world where violence and suffering seem to be the norm.
The final stanza is repeated several times, and seems to suggest both a sense of resignation and an affirmation of the power of love. The singer acknowledges that they will not be remembered, but declares their love anyway, as if to say that even if their individual identity is lost, the love they generate will still have an impact. The song ends on the repeated phrase "Enter rain/exit pain," which suggests that the cleansing power of nature can serve as a balm for our wounds, both physical and emotional.
Line by Line Meaning
In just a year another storm will come
Reminding us that everything will pass with time, and what seems important right now might be easily forgotten by next year.
To wash away an inch more blood
All the atrocities committed on this earth, one by one, will be cleaned away by the rain as it falls.
Its lack of hatred, politics or creed
Unlike humans, the rain doesn't have any feelings of malice, nor does it care about human politics or religion.
Left us blind, open wide, our gun hands tied
Our focus on hatred, politics or creed blinded us to the love and kindness that surrounds us, leading to the hands that held guns tied up tight without a purpose.
For this old world has seen the worst of us
Humanity has been through the worst and the rain will wash it all away.
Its love worn thinner by the day
Love is becoming scarce, only the rain can bring some of it down to earth.
And every ounce of havoc, that we wreaked upon it
The destruction caused by people will eventually be cleansed by the rains.
Got the best of us, oh, and the rest is for us
We may have caused all the damage we did, but the cleansing is for our benefit.
Enter rain...
Enter pain
The rain enters, and the pain of the past and present leaves as the rain washes it all away.
In seven years ago I'll see a man
The man mentioned will be seen in seven years, maybe during the rain.
A moment stretched out over years
In our memories, some moments from the past remain vivid and clear in our minds for years.
His eyes just flicker and then something changed
The man's demeanor changed due to an unforeseen event.
An empty cage, a crimson bud, sprung out in mud
The imagery of an empty cage and a red flower that grew in mud can represent coming out of a negative situation and healing from the past.
In just ten minutes I will see a child
A moment in time where someone will witness a child buying milk.
Buying milk all dressed up in rags
At times we forget how tough life can be for some children, even doing something as simple as buying milk.
And without thinking he will cover up his naked hand
Small acts of kindness happen every day, and here a child is covering up a hand that has an injury.
To the cold, oh, and that gives me hope
A reminder that even in tough times, good deeds can still bring hope to people's lives.
And the rain will wash us to the bone
The rain reminds us of how small and fragile we are in the grand scheme of things.
Leaving thousands in its trail
The number of people affected by the rain is significant and often more than what we can imagine.
Cleansing all the flesh wounds
Injuries to the physical body and emotional wounds that go unnoticed, all of it gets cleansed along with the rain.
Of our time, of every crime
Reminding us that every second that passes and every crime committed will one day be washed away by the rain.
Of every pound of dust and grime
The rain doesn't differentiate between dust, dirt or grime, and cleanses all that it comes in contact with.
In two seconds I will hit the ground
A reminder that life is unpredictable, and it can all come to a sudden end in just two seconds.
A moment stretched out over years
A similar line repeated from earlier, emphasizing the impact of the moment.
And my eyes will flicker and then something has changed
As the moment of impact comes closer, it causes a change in our perception of life before the fall.
An empty cage, a crimson bud, a street of blood
Bringing to mind the imagery of beginning anew after hitting rock bottom, similar to a flower that blooms out of mud.
A city rose sprung out to greet the rain
The rain brings the hope of the city getting back on its feet from the destruction it has faced in the past.
You'll never remember my name
But I will love you just the same
People come and go in life, but the love we have for them remains long after.
Just the same
A fitting end to the line, emphasizing the unchanging love we have for people.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DANIEL GILDENLOEW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind