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
Shore Serenity
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
years now. Radiation was earlier so high that one hour at the shore of this
lake would cause death in just a few weeks. Karachay, the entire lake, is
now covered with concrete...
Don't disturb me now
I can see the why, the when and how
Looking back to see all bridges burn
this is zero
(Shore Serenity)
This is all that is left of me:
A broken man at a broken sea
To be or not to be a wheel in the big machinery
That is not the matter of the game
Just as long as you can sense the frame of the big picture
(Wheels make The Machine)
This is all that is left of me
a broken man at a concrete sea
But now I know that one cell can kill
and a big Machine stands and falls with a wheel...
The lyrics of Pain of Salvation's "Shore Serenity" paint a vivid picture of the devastating impact of human activities on the environment, particularly on Karachay, a shallow lake located in Kyshtym, Russia. For almost fifty years, nuclear waste has been dumped into the lake, causing extremely high levels of radiation. As a result, spending just an hour at the lake's shore would cause death within weeks. In an attempt to contain the contamination, Karachay was eventually covered with concrete.
In the song, the singer reflects on the irreversible damage inflicted upon the environment and the world as a whole. The lines, "Looking back to see all bridges burn, I have reached the point of no return," indicate that the point of no return has been reached regarding environmental degradation. The broken man at a broken sea symbolizes the impact of human activities on the environment, reducing it to nothing but a hollow shell. The contrasting images of a "wheel in a big machinery" versus "one cell" reflect the idea that individuals' actions have an equal impact as that of massive companies and corporations.
Overall, "Shore Serenity" serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of neglecting the environment and the impact of human activities on the planet.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't disturb me now
I need to concentrate and focus on something important
I can see the why, the when and how
I have a clear understanding of the reasons, timing and methods involved
Looking back to see all bridges burn
Reflecting on my past and realizing that I cannot go back or change my decisions
I have reached the point of no return
I have passed a critical threshold where there is no turning back or undoing what has been done
this is zero
I have hit rock bottom and there is nothing left
(Shore Serenity)
Despite the chaos and destruction around me, I find peace and calmness by the shore
This is all that is left of me:
I have lost everything and this is all that remains
A broken man at a broken sea
I am emotionally and physically shattered, surrounded by a polluted and damaged environment
To be or not to be a wheel in the big machinery
The decision of whether to be a small part of a larger system, or to go against it
That is not the matter of the game
The game is not about fitting in or following the rules, but about understanding the greater purpose
Just as long as you can sense the frame of the big picture
It's important to have a broad understanding of the situation and how everything fits together
(Wheels make The Machine)
Everything, no matter how small, plays a role in the larger system and can affect its outcome
But now I know that one cell can kill
Even a small, insignificant part of the system can cause destruction
and a big Machine stands and falls with a wheel...
The entire system depends on each individual part, and one failure can cause the entire thing to collapse
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DANIEL GILDENLOEW, PAIN OF SALVATION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind