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
Imago
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spring came with fascination and desire to deploy.
Summer came with restlessness and curiosity.
Summer came with longing for the things we could not be.
Take me to the forests, take me to the trees.
Take me anywhere, as long as you take me.
Take me to the breed, and be.
Autumn came with knowlegde, and with ego, came with pride.
Autumn came with shamefulness, for the things we could not hide.
Winter came with anger, and a bitter taste of fate.
Winter came with fear for things we could not escape.
Take me to the forests, take me to the trees.
Take me anywhere, as long as you take me.
Take me to the ocean, take me to the sea.
Take me to the breed, and be.
Teach me of the forests, teach me of the trees.
Teach me anything, as long as you teach me.
Teach me of the ocean, teach me of the sea.
Teach me of the great and me / greater me?
See me (another world creation)
Hear me (an another love that came from animae)
Know me (another/under the incarnation)
Fear me (an another power held by animae, me)
Give me of the forests, give me of the trees.
Give me anything, as long as it's for me.
Give me of the ocean, give me of the sea.
Give me of the breed and me.
Give me all the forests, give me all the trees.
Give me everything, as long as it's for free.
Give me all the oceans, give me all the seas.
Give me all the great and be
The lyrics to Pain of Salvation's song, Imago, seem to be a reflection on the different seasons and how they mirror the various stages of human life. The song begins with Spring, which is associated with awakening, innocence, joy, and a desire to explore. The lines "take me to the forests, take me to the trees" can be interpreted as a desire to be surrounded by nature and to escape the limits of society. Summer follows with its restlessness and curiosity, along with a longing for things that are unattainable. As life progresses, Autumn arrives, bringing knowledge, ego, and ultimately, shamefulness. Lastly, Winter brings anger and fear for the things we cannot escape.
The chorus serves as a plea to learn and experience as much as possible during our time on earth. It speaks of the desire to be taken to different places, to learn more about the world's mysteries, and to be taught about nature and ourselves. The repeated last line, "take me to the breed, and be", is likely a reference to the interconnectedness of all living things and how we can transcend our individual experience by seeing ourselves as part of a greater whole.
Overall, Imago can be seen as a meditation on the cycle of life and how we can learn and grow through each season. It encourages us to embrace the unknown and to find meaning in our experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Spring came with awakening, came with innocence and joy.
The beginning of something new, with a feeling of purity and happiness.
Spring came with fascination and desire to deploy.
A strong interest and eagerness to explore and create.
Summer came with restlessness and curiosity.
A sense of unease and inquisitiveness, a desire to experience more.
Summer came with longing for the things we could not be.
A yearning for something unattainable or out of reach.
Take me to the forests, take me to the trees.
A desire to escape and be surrounded by nature.
Take me anywhere, as long as you take me.
Willingness to go anywhere or do anything with someone.
Take me to the ocean, take me to the sea.
A longing to be near the water, perhaps for its calming or healing properties.
Take me to the breed, and be.
A desire to belong somewhere or to a particular group/community.
Autumn came with knowledge, and with ego, came with pride.
A time of increased awareness and self-importance.
Autumn came with shamefulness, for the things we could not hide.
A time of regret or guilt for past actions or secrets.
Winter came with anger, and a bitter taste of fate.
A time of intense emotions and disappointment.
Winter came with fear for things we could not escape.
A sense of dread or anxiety about things beyond our control.
Teach me of the forests, teach me of the trees.
A willingness to learn and grow through nature.
Teach me anything, as long as you teach me.
Openness to any kind of knowledge or experience.
Teach me of the ocean, teach me of the sea.
A desire to gain knowledge and understanding of the vastness of the world.
Teach me of the great and me / greater me?
Perhaps a question about the meaning of personal identity and one's place in the world.
See me (another world creation)
A call to be acknowledged or appreciated for one's creativity or uniqueness.
Hear me (an another love that came from animae)
Perhaps a reference to a love interest or a deeper connection with one's inner self.
Know me (another/under the incarnation)
A call to be seen and understood for one's true self, beyond external appearances or labels.
Fear me (an another power held by animae, me)
Possibly a reference to an inner strength or power that others may not be aware of.
Give me of the forests, give me of the trees.
A desire to receive something from nature or the universe.
Give me anything, as long as it's for me.
Looking for personal gain, even if it means taking from others or the environment.
Give me of the ocean, give me of the sea.
A continued longing for the vastness and mystery of the water.
Give me of the breed and me.
A desire to connect with a certain community, and to be recognized as part of it.
Give me all the forests, give me all the trees.
An unrealistic desire to possess everything that nature has to offer.
Give me everything, as long as it's for free.
A naive or entitled expectation of receiving everything without cost or effort.
Give me all the oceans, give me all the seas.
An amplified longing for the vastness and power of the water.
Give me all the great and be
Perhaps a plea for greatness or recognition, but also a recognition of the interconnectedness of all things.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DANIEL GILDENLOEW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rafael Mori
I really,really love that music, it makes me feel like running in a forest
Vitor Mendes
I always pictured half naked ppl running through the woods when I listen to it
Güray Günay
I really wish that these guys make an stone age album. That would be quite interesting and succesful i guess.
Ana Bujor
One of my favorite songs ^-^
Eternal Unity
The Finest song on the Record.
Matthew Smith
Listen to this baked and your journey will be endless.
sjoerd roelofs
+Matthew Smith been there done that. the whole reason why I love this whole album. it took me a while to get into this band.
Riccardo Monticelli
This album is my religion.
Stephen D
this album slaps some major ass boys
Jaro Fedorčák
Chcel som si vypočuť túto skladbu a vidím, že poznám uploadera. Nazdar, možno si ma pamätáš zo zušky a z jednej oslavy v čani.