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
Road Salt
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This time I'll stay untouched with pain and dirt
This time I'll stick to what I've learned
This time I'll fly so low I won't get burned
Maybe it's not enough
Maybe this time it's just too much
Maybe I'm not that tough
To walk down
So I sit down
I've walked this road so many years
I've worn down all my boots, I've cried all tears
So many crossroads left behind
So many choices burned into my mind
Maybe it's not enough
Maybe this time it's just too much
Maybe I'm not that tough
Maybe this time the road is just too rough
To take me home
To take me home
To take me home
To take me home
But I walk on
The lyrics of Pain of Salvation's song Road Salt depict the struggle of a person who has had a difficult and painful journey in life and is trying to avoid further pain and hurt. The opening lines convey a sense of determination to stay away from any kind of emotional suffering. The singer is committed to avoiding past mistakes and learn from his experiences. He envisions himself flying low, trying not to get burned, implying that he will keep his expectations low to avoid disappointment.
However, as the song progresses, doubts creep in, and he wonders if he is strong enough to face the challenges of life. He could face past crossroads and choices, but this time it might be too much for him. He decides to sit down, confronted with the enormity of the challenge he faces. Despite these moments of doubt, he finds the strength to carry on, despite the hardship and emotional turmoil he might face.
The song is a poignant reminder that life is full of difficult and painful experiences, but one must carry on and not give up. It reflects the resilience and strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
This time I'll try not to get hurt
I will attempt to avoid getting emotionally or physically injured this time around.
This time I'll stay untouched with pain and dirt
I will remain free from emotional anguish and the grit and grime of life this time.
This time I'll stick to what I've learned
I will stay true to the lessons I have learned throughout my life this time.
This time I'll fly so low I won't get burned
I will keep a low profile, avoiding any sort of heat or problems this time around.
Maybe it's not enough
Perhaps everything I am doing is not adequate.
Maybe this time it's just too much
Possibly, the intensity of the situation is too overbearing to handle this time.
Maybe I'm not that tough
I might not be as strong as I believed I was in this situation.
Maybe this time the road is just too rough
Maybe the path or the journey is simply too difficult to navigate this time.
To walk down
To go ahead and progress anyways.
So I sit down
Ponder my options and actions before moving forward.
I've walked this road so many years
I have been going down this path for an extensive period of time.
I've worn down all my boots, I've cried all tears
I am exhausted, emotionally drained and have been out there for a long time.
So many crossroads left behind
So many moments of crucial change have been left in the past.
So many choices burned into my mind
There are enormous amounts of decisions and outcomes that have lingered or caused emotional distress in my head.
To take me home
To lead me down the path to where I actually belong.
But I walk on
Nevertheless, I continue to trek along the path that lies ahead.
Contributed by Harper L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chelsey
Why isn't this band more popular? They are fantastic. From beginning to end.
lesclaypool0727
Why only RnB disco musics are popular?
Carbon i3 Impressora 3D
Come on guys... accept it... we have pretty weird music taste... we are nothing but a bunch of weirdos trying to belong
Jupiterone
amen dude
Big Funi
Millennials and Gen Z kids are brainwashed to enjoy the pop of today. Two writers write most of what everyone listens to. Music has become a profitable good to sold instead of art to be appreciated. As a drummer, I hate drum machines so much. There is no pathos, no soul. Kids who are taught to listen to everything are the only hope of music.
Charmaine Reeves
I'm a huge fan of theirs and have been listening to them for years, Daniel Gildenlow has an amazing voice and the music is pure class.
Gilgleison Machado
melhor banda de prog de todas!
Alex
как же классно!
Kevin Alonso Salazar Sandí
This is incredible, amazing! I trully enjoy to hear them evolve into this
CloudMountainJuror
This is a wonderful little album.