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
Idiocracy
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cold skin
Black mind
Blue light
Broken
Shut down
Knuckles
All white
Babel
Cold fact
Core mine
Black gold
Failure
Lockdown
Gun-hands
All sold
We're waiting, so close your eyes
Relax and take a deep breath now
Believe the lies
When you wake up you'll be democratized
Violence
Cold pin
Blood crust
Blinded
Damp sheets
Needles
Stale smiles
Sick bed
Guiltknife
Scarsoil
Sinstain
Killchrome
Footbare
Gone wrong
Blue lights
Bring me home
We're waiting, so close your eyes
Relax and take a deep breath now
Believe the lies
When you wake up we'll all seem nice
So close your eyes
Just take another deep breath now
And fantasize
Pretend the world we're forming
Is a paradise
Why can't I close my eyes
Why can't I just be hypnotized
Industrialized and privatized
All mesmerized
'Cause I can see
And what I see around me makes me paralyzed
Yes I can see
And what I see is not worthy a democracy
It's uncivilized
So please close my eyes
I don't want to see this undemocratic, semi-automatic mediocracy and hypocrisy
Pretending we're free under plastic flags waving dependency for this idiocracy
Close my eyes...
The lyrics in Pain of Salvation's song "Idiocracy" seem to paint a picture of a dystopian society. The first stanza of the song represents an individual who is broken, shut down, and alone in a world that is cold and unfeeling. It seems that something has gone wrong, and the world has become dark and oppressive.
The second stanza begins with a reference to the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel, which symbolizes the failure and collapse of a society due to its own arrogance and pride. The lyrics describe a world where everything has been stripped away, and people have lost their humanity. It seems that they have been sold out and are now controlled by those who have the power.
The chorus of the song speaks about the lies that people are told, and the promise of a better world if they just close their eyes and believe. The lyrics seem to be a commentary on how people are often persuaded to follow a particular ideology or leader without questioning their motives. The song continues to describe the brutality and violence of this world before asking why one cannot be hypnotized or industrialized like everyone else.
Overall, "Idiocracy" seems to critique modern society and how mass manipulation and deception can lead to the erosion of individuality and democracy. It is a warning against blindly accepting what one is told and a cry for a return to a world that values freedom and truth.
Line by Line Meaning
Silence
The absence of sound around me
Cold skin
The feeling of my skin being cold
Black mind
My mind filled with darkness
Blue light
The pale, artificial light surrounding me
Broken
Completely shattered and ruined
Shut down
Stopped working and unresponsive
Knuckles
My clenched fists
All white
Everything appear white as if a veil is lifted from my eyes
Babel
A reference to the biblical story of the tower of Babel
Cold fact
The cold, hard truth about reality
Core mine
The deep-seated beliefs and values I hold
Black gold
A metaphor for the valuable but destructive force of greed
Failure
The overwhelming feeling of not succeeding
Lockdown
A state of being confined or restricted
Gun-hands
A metaphor for having an aggressive, violent mindset
All sold
Everything has been bought and sold for profit
We're waiting, so close your eyes
An instruction to tune out the present reality and prepare for the future
Relax and take a deep breath now
An attempt to calm down and become more receptive
Believe the lies
A warning to be wary of propaganda
When you wake up you'll be democratized
When you wake up you will conform to the mainstream idea of democracy
Violence
Physical or emotional harm inflicted on someone
Cold pin
The feeling of something sharp and cold piercing into me
Blood crust
The dried blood on my body after an incident of violence
Blinded
Momentarily unable to see
Damp sheets
The feeling of slightly damp bed linens
Needles
A reference to invasive medical procedures
Stale smiles
Forced, fake smiles
Sick bed
A bed one lies on when they are physically or mentally unwell
Guiltknife
A metaphorical knife that leaves feelings of guilt
Scarsoil
Metaphorical soil where lasting emotional scars are formed
Sinstain
A metaphorical stain left by immoral actions
Killchrome
A metaphorical extermination of individuality and creativity
Footbare
Exposed and vulnerable
Gone wrong
Something has deviated from the original plan or goal
Blue lights
A common trope in science fiction, a harsh, sterile light
Bring me home
A desire for safety, comfort, and familiarity
Why can't I close my eyes
An inability to 'tune out' reality
Why can't I just be hypnotized
A desire to be cured of this state of constant awareness and analysis
Industrialized and privatized
A reference to a society driven by capitalist values
All mesmerized
The idea that everyone is caught up in the same cycle
'Cause I can see
A declaration of the artist's awareness of the world around them
And what I see around me makes me paralyzed
A feeling of helplessness in the face of societal issues
Yes I can see
A reiteration of the singer's awareness
And what I see is not worthy a democracy
The belief that the current state of affairs is contrary to what democracy represents
It's uncivilized
A society lacking in humanity, culture, and progress
So please close my eyes
An appeal for a break from the overwhelming realities of the world
I don't want to see this undemocratic, semi-automatic mediocracy and hypocrisy
A condemnation of the current state of affairs where authenticity and critical thinking have been replaced by apathy and conformity
Pretending we're free under plastic flags waving dependency for this idiocracy
An observation that the very symbols of freedom are nothing more than superficial trappings of a society that values mass-produced goods over quality of life
Close my eyes...
A final plea for escape from the harsh realities of the world
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Written by: DANIEL GILDENLOEW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind