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
Timeweaver's Tale
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[Music and Lyrics by D.Gildenlow]
The Timeweaver's abode is deep under ground
As interweaving history he us creates
He weaves in eternity not to be found
The Elder's legend that braids our fates
Hoary and hollow-eyed, older than sun
Abiding his destiny to reverberate time
There's no one to remember how it began
In rooms filled with candles he reverberates time
Timeweaver, tell me my history that I've been searching so
Timeweaver, reveal the mystery that I've been letting grow
He once was given his mission by three...
The Holy, The Sacred and The Ancient Dream
He doesn't exist for those who don't believe
He's nothing but stories for those who don't deem
Hoary and hollow-eyed, older than sun
Abiding his destiny to reverberate time
There's no one to remember how it began
In rooms filled with candles he reverberates time
Timeweaver, tell me my history that I've been searching so
Timeweaver, reveal the mystery that I've been letting grow
Spider's webs decorate dusty shelves lightened by old candles glow
Ancient prescriptions from times that don't even exist
In memories
[D.Gildenlow/Both/D.Gildenlow/Hallgren]
Guarded by spells he reincarnates time
Gives birth once again to a century's child
Hoary and hollow-eyed, older than sun
Abiding his destiny to reverberate time
And now I can remember how it began
In rooms filled with candles I reverberate time
Timeweaver told me a history I didn't want to know
Timeweaver revealed the mystery - two became one to grow!
Timeweaver...
...time...will...be...here...now...and...
Now!
The song "Timeweaver's Tale" by Pain of Salvation is a bonus track that was released only in Japan. The song describes an underground abode where the Timeweaver creates interweaving histories that shape people's fates. The Timeweaver is presented as hoary, hollow-eyed, and older than the sun, and he weaves in eternity not to be found. He was given his mission by three entities the Holy, the Sacred, and the Ancient Dream, but he doesn't exist for those who don't believe in him. The song invites the Timeweaver to reveal the mystery of the singer's history that he has been searching for and to "reverberate time" in rooms filled with old candles.
The imagery in this song is intricate, and it captures the listener's attention. The Timeweaver is presented as a powerful entity capable of altering the course of time in mysterious ways. The singer feels compelled to seek answers from the Timeweaver and discovers that he can remember how it all began. The song also suggests a possible love interest between the singer and the Timeweaver, as the phrase "two became one to grow" implies a deeper connection. The song invites the listener to wonder about the mysteries of time and existence and to seek answers from sources beyond the material world.
Line by Line Meaning
The Timeweaver's abode is deep under ground
The home of the Timeweaver is located far beneath the surface of the earth
As interweaving history he us creates
He creates history by interweaving various events and experiences
He weaves in eternity not to be found
The Timeweaver includes eternity in his weaving, which cannot be found in ordinary time
The Elder's legend that braids our fates
This weaving includes the legend of the Elders that influences the fate of all living beings
Hoary and hollow-eyed, older than sun
The Timeweaver looks very old and has no energy, and has been around longer than the sun itself
Abiding his destiny to reverberate time
The Timeweaver accepts his fate of echoing time and continuing the cycle of events
There's no one to remember how it began
No one remembers how the story of the Timeweaver started
In rooms filled with candles he reverberates time
The Timeweaver repeats the rhythm of time in rooms illuminated by candlelight
Timeweaver, tell me my history that I've been searching so
The artist asks the Timeweaver to reveal their personal history that they've been seeking
Timeweaver, reveal the mystery that I've been letting grow
The artist also asks the Timeweaver to disclose the mystery that they have been keeping in the dark
He once was given his mission by three...
The Timeweaver received their mission from three mysterious beings: The Holy, The Sacred, and The Ancient Dream
The Holy, The Sacred and The Ancient Dream
These entities played a significant role in shaping the Timeweaver's purpose
He doesn't exist for those who don't believe
The Timeweaver only exists for those who believe in their existence
He's nothing but stories for those who don't deem
For unbelievers, the Timeweaver is nothing more than a legend or a tale
Spider's webs decorate dusty shelves lightened by old candles glow
The Timeweaver's room is filled with spider webs, and the dusty shelves are illuminated by the flickering light of old candles
Ancient prescriptions from times that don't even exist
The Timeweaver has ancient books that contain remedies which are no longer relevant in modern times
In memories
These books only exist as distant memories
Guarded by spells he reincarnates time
The Timeweaver uses magic spells to guard his work and reincarnate time over and over again
Gives birth once again to a century's child
The Timeweaver creates a new life for a newborn child every century
And now I can remember how it began
The artist learned the origin story of the Timeweaver
In rooms filled with candles I reverberate time
The artist finally experiences the same reverberating rhythm of time in the Timeweaver's room
Timeweaver told me a history I didn't want to know
The Timeweaver revealed a personal history to the artist that they didn't want to know
Timeweaver revealed the mystery - two became one to grow!
The Timeweaver also disclosed a mystery that involves the process of two becoming one to grow
Timeweaver...
The repetition of the Timeweaver's name emphasizes his importance and presence
...time...will...be...here...now...and...
The final lines describe the always existing and current nature of time, with the ellipses implying that time goes on infinitely
Contributed by Audrey A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bakalaudia
Fun fact : Daniel Gildenlöw said in the One Hour by the Concrete lake booklet that he wrote this song when he was 14/15 years old, of course he re-arranged it after for this version but it's still impressive
Paulo Gonçalves
This reminds me of Crimson Glory's "Dream Dancer", one of the best tunes they made but never featured on an album. It was released as the B-side of Lost Reflection single. Unforgettable.
Dominic Garant
Thank you for this song. It is so beautiful. It would have been wonderful on One Hour by the Concrete Lake.
Thanos_Lcf
This leaves you thinking... if they left that out of the album, imagine (for those who are not familiar with one hour by the concrete lake) what they have left inside!!!
Bakalaudia
Inside the big machine you mean? 😏😏😏
Luca in Japan
@Bakalaudia No, he means Inside out!
bad friction
I just found them 5 days ago
Joel Wiedrich
This song is very good. Too bad it's not on the album.
Doug LeBlanc
Just discovered this song, sounds fantastic! I quite like it. But yea, why the TPE?
Lokk9
this song is very powermetalish, the chorus reminds me very much of Falconer