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
If You Wait
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
if I could ask you to wait
I'd get back
Somehow
To you
If I could ask you to wait
I'll bring myself
Home to you
This road
Through mud
Through grass
Through dust
Through rain
Whatever I find in my way
I'll power through
I'll power through
Home to you
IF YOU WAIT
if I could ask you to wait
But I can't ask you to wait
Though it breaks me:
Go
I must ask you to go
Go
I must ask you to go
Please go
(I must ask you to go)
The song "If You Wait" by Pain of Salvation is a powerful and emotional piece that expresses the singer's desire to return home to their loved one. The lyrics are filled with longing and determination as the singer promises to overcome any obstacle that may stand in their way in order to be reunited with their beloved. The opening lines, "if I could ask you to wait, I'd get back somehow to you" sets the tone for the entire song. The singer is acknowledging that while they may be far away from their loved one, they still hold onto hope that they will be reunited in the future.
The chorus, "if I could ask you to wait, I'll bring myself home to you," underscores the singer's unwavering dedication to being with their partner. They are willing to endure whatever challenges come their way in order to make it back to their loved one. In the second verse, the lyrics become even more poignant as the singer speaks about walking on "this road through mud, through grass, through dust, through rain." This serves as a metaphor for the challenges one faces in life and how we must weather all of life's storms if we are to be with those we love.
The closing lines, "go, I must ask you to go, please go" suggest that the singer may be aware that their loved one may need to leave in order to pursue their own path. However, they still hold onto the hope that they will be reunited in the future. Overall, the song speaks to the power of love and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
if I could ask you to wait
If only I had the power to delay this inevitable moment
I'd get back
I'd return to you with all my strength
Somehow
Even if it appears uncertain or impossible
To you
Towards your embrace and comfort
If I could ask you to wait
If only time could be on our side
I'll bring myself
I'll muster all my courage and resilience
Home to you
Back to where I belong, with you
I would walk on
I'll continue on this difficult path
This road
The journey that I must take
Through mud
Despite the mess and struggles
Through grass
Even if it conceals dangers or slows me down
Through dust
Despite the choking and the obscurity
Through rain
Despite the wetness, discomfort and sadness
Whatever I find in my way
No matter the obstacles and disruptions
I'll power through
I'll keep pushing and moving forward
I'll power through
I'll overcome and survive
Home to you
Back to where my heart belongs
if I could ask you to wait
If only I could delay the inevitable
But I can't ask you to wait
But I can't put you through more pain and uncertainty
Though it breaks me:
Although it causes me immense suffering
Go
Leave, move on, away from me
I must ask you to go
I have no choice but to let you go
Please go
I beg of you, leave and find peace elsewhere
(I must ask you to go)
I have to make this difficult decision, even if it shatters me
Contributed by Micah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.