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
Inside
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
humanity, and, therefore, were not all those who sanctioned, engineered,
and conducted wars, war criminals? War criminals are not confined to the
Axis Powers alone.'
I was told the pain and hunger was not my fault
How could they be so wrong?
And man, of all five billion people you're only one
Clean hands
My land is my home
I'm inside the big machine and it's eating me!
And I am just a wheel in motion, too blind to see
The way we are heading now
I'm hollow
I swallow, but
Inside I'm strong
Inside I'm free
Inside I'm young
Inside I'm still me
(Since 1990 there have been 93 wars in 70 states all around the world, with 5.5 million people dead. 75% of these people were civilians, 1 million of them were children...)
(Guns don't kill, I don't kill. Do I?)
Drink with me, laugh with me, friends for tonight
Stay with me, sleep with me, happy tonight
I only feel lonely outside this bar
Look at me when I speak! Who do you think you are?
Just look at me now! Inside I'm lost
Now I'm vain, numb this pain, why is it burning?
Clean as rain, not a stain, so why am I yearning?
I can't sleep, I twist and turn
In too deep, I sweat, I burn
I'm afraid that I'll awake, dressed up in a big mistake
Then I'd break!
What if I just closed my eyes?
(I'm not clean)
What if I shut out the lies?
(Blood unseen)
And what if I could hear my heart
(All over my hands!)
Accusing me for taking part
Of the Machine
The first stanza of "Inside" includes a quote from Robert Jackson's opening statement during the Nuremberg Trials. The quote carries the implication that in war, everyone becomes a war criminal regardless of which side they are on because the act of war itself is a crime against God and humanity. The next verse describes the singer's struggle with feeling responsible for the suffering in the world. He is told that the pain and hunger are not his fault and believed that for too long, but he feels hollow inside. The following chorus emphasizes the disconnect between the singer's external appearance and his internal emotions. He feels strong, free, and young inside while being consumed by the big machine, represented by society.
The second verse focuses on the singer’s search for happiness and companionship. He invites people to drink, laugh, and sleep with him so he won't feel lonely. However, he still feels lost inside and yearns for connection. The final verse describes the singer's fear of facing the truth of his involvement in the system. He wants to shut out the lies and ignore the blood on his hands. He is worried that if he faces the reality of his participation in the machine, he will break. The song ends with a final statement accusing the singer of taking part in the machine.
Overall, "Inside" is a commentary on societal systems that consume individuals and their desires to fit in. The singer is struggling with feeling disconnected from the society he is a part of, while also recognizing his role in perpetuating it.
Line by Line Meaning
What is a war criminal? Was not war itself a crime against God and humanity, and, therefore, were not all those who sanctioned, engineered, and conducted wars, war criminals? War criminals are not confined to the Axis Powers alone.
Who truly qualifies as a war criminal? Isn't war inherently immoral, making anyone who orchestrates, enables or carries out military attacks just as guilty? War crimes can be committed by any country, not just the ones aligned with the Axis Powers.
I was told the pain and hunger was not my fault
Others assured me that my suffering wasn't my responsibility
How could they be so wrong?
I realize now that their claim was untrue
And man, of all five billion people you're only one
With a population of over 5 billion people, I'm only an insignificant, single individual
Believed them for far too long!
I gave them my trust for way too much time
Clean hands
I appear innocent or blameless
My land is my home
The land I reside in is where I belong
I'm inside the big machine and it's eating me!
I'm trapped in a massive system that's consuming me
And I am just a wheel in motion, too blind to see
As a minute part of this giant structure, I'm unable to comprehend the full extent of what's happening
The way we are heading now
We're moving towards a devastating outcome
I'm hollow
I feel empty or meaningless
I swallow, but
Although I ingest something
Inside I'm strong
On the inside, I'm powerful
Inside I'm free
Internally I'm liberated
Inside I'm young
In my heart or soul, I'm youthful
Inside I'm still me
Despite the external pressures, I'm still fundamentally myself as a person.
(Since 1990 there have been 93 wars in 70 states all around the world, with 5.5 million people dead. 75% of these people were civilians, 1 million of them were children...)
Starting from 1990, there have been 93 military conflicts in 70 different territories worldwide, causing the death of over 5.5 million people. 75% of the fatalities were innocent civilians, and among them, as many as 1 million were children.
(Guns don't kill, I don't kill. Do I?)
Guns don't slaughter people on their own, but my part in the cycle of violence raises questions about my involvement
Drink with me, laugh with me, friends for tonight
Join me in a good time, let's share a drink and enjoy each other's company at least for tonight
Stay with me, sleep with me, happy tonight
Stick around, let's share a bed and be content for the evening
I only feel lonely outside this bar
Other than in this drinking hole, I sense a profound isolation
Look at me when I speak! Who do you think you are?
Pay attention to me when I'm talking, don't act like you're superior to me!
Just look at me now! Inside I'm lost
Consider me at this moment, I'm already adrift internally
Now I'm vain, numb this pain, why is it burning?
I'm starting to act arrogant and self-absorbed to not feel this torment, why is it growing ever more intense?
Clean as rain, not a stain, so why am I yearning?
How come this faultless exterior I preserve within myself still brings about so much longing?
I can't sleep, I twist and turn
I'm tormented by insomnia and tossed around on my bed
In too deep, I sweat, I burn
I've immersed myself too far and now experience profuse sweating and scorching
I'm afraid that I'll awake, dressed up in a big mistake
I'm scared that one day I'll wake up and realize a monumental blunder I committed
Then I'd break!
This possibility would destroy me!
What if I just closed my eyes?
How would it go if I simply chose to ignore the reality?
(I'm not clean)
(--Giving the impression of being spotless or unblemished,--)
What if I shut out the lies?
What if I discarded all pretenses and instead made a sincere choice?
(Blood unseen)
(--Not revealing the evidences of a bloody past,--)
And what if I could hear my heart
What difference would it make If I truly listened to my inner self?
(All over my hands!)
(--Since the responsibility of the violent past lay largely on my own head--)
Accusing me for taking part
I'd be liable for all the terrible acts in which I took part
Of the Machine
Of the massive system I had been an insignificant part of
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL GILDENLOW, FREDERIK HERMANSSON, KRISTOFFER GILDENLOW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind