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
Undertow
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me go
Let me seek the answer that I need to know
Let me find a way
Let me walk away
Through the Undertow
Please let me go
Let me fly
Let me rise against that blood-red velvet sky
Let me chase it all
Break my wings and fall
Probably survive
So let me fly
Let me fly
Let me run
Let me run
Let me ride the crest of chance into the sun
You were always there
But you may lose me here
Now love me if you dare
And let me run
I'm alive and I am true to my heart now, I am I
But why must truth always make me die?
Let me break!
Let me bleed!
Let me tear myself apart I need to breathe!
Let me lose my way!
Let me walk astray!
Maybe to proceed...
Just let me bleed!
Let me drain!
Let me die!
Let me break the things I love I need to cry!
Let me burn it all!
Let me take my fall!
Through the cleansing fire!
Now let me die!
Let me die
Let me out
Let me fade into that pitch-black velvet night
Undertow by Pain of Salvation is a song about seeking answers, taking risks, and embracing the full spectrum of human emotions. The lyrics express an urgent need to break free and explore unknown territories. The repetition of "let me go," "let me fly," and "let me run" suggests a desire for independence and self-discovery. The singer is willing to sacrifice everything to find the truth, even if it means breaking themselves apart and losing everything they hold dear. The imagery of flying, running, and bleeding suggests a desire to break free from limitations and take risks, even if it means facing pain, uncertainty, and death. The song ends with a desire to fade away into the "pitch-black velvet night," suggesting a willingness to embrace the unknown and face whatever lies ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me go
I need to escape and find answers
Let me go
I need to be free to search
Let me seek the answer that I need to know
I need answers to my questions and I'm determined to find them
Let me find a way
I need to discover a path on my own
Let me walk away
I need to leave my current situation and move forward
Through the Undertow
Despite obstacles, I am determined to continue on my journey
Please let me go
I need freedom to explore my own path
Let me fly
I desire to soar above and beyond my current limitations
Let me fly
I want to be free and uninhibited
Let me rise against that blood-red velvet sky
I want to overcome the problems in front of me
Let me chase it all
I am determined to achieve everything I want
Break my wings and fall
Even if I fail, I will still pick myself up
Probably survive
Despite the difficulties and failures, I believe I will make it through
So let me fly
Allow me to be free and explore
Let me run
I want to take chances and pursue opportunities
Let me run
I want to live my life to the fullest
Let me ride the crest of chance into the sun
I want to seize opportunities and experience success
You were always there
I know you've supported me, but now I need to make my own decisions
But you may lose me here
There's a possibility my decisions may take me away from you
Now love me if you dare
If you truly love me, support my decisions
And let me run
Give me the space and freedom to pursue my goals
I'm alive and I am true to my heart now, I am I
I understand who I am and what I believe in
But why must truth always make me die?
Why does being truthful and following my heart come with such consequences?
Let me break!
I need to break free from my current situation
Let me bleed!
I need to release my emotions and express myself
Let me tear myself apart I need to breathe!
I need to remove the restrictions and find my own path
Let me lose my way!
I'm okay with taking my own path and making my own mistakes
Let me walk astray!
I want to explore and discover on my own
Maybe to proceed...
This may be the necessary step forward to continue growing
Just let me bleed!
Don't hold me back from expressing myself
Let me drain!
I need to let go of what is holding me back
Let me die!
I need to remove what is no longer beneficial to me
Let me break the things I love I need to cry!
I may have to let go of things that once meant a lot to me
Let me burn it all!
I need to cleanse and start anew
Let me take my fall!
I'm okay with accepting the consequences of my actions
Through the cleansing fire!
This process will help me become a better version of myself
Now let me die!
I need to let go fully and start anew
Let me out
I need to escape and break free
Let me fade into that pitch-black velvet night
I need peace and to be alone
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GOAPELE K. MOHLABANE, JAMES RYAN WUIHUN HO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luthientinuviel7560
"Undertow"
Let me go
Let me go
Let me seek the answer that I need to know
Let me find a way
Let me walk away
Through the Undertow
Please let me go
Let me fly
Let me fly
Let me rise against that blood-red velvet sky
Let me chase it all
Break my wings and fall
Probably survive
So let me fly
Let me fly...
Let me run
Let me run
Let me ride the crest of chance into the sun
You were always there
But you may lose me here
Now love me if you dare
And let me run
I'm alive and I am true to my heart now - I am I,
but why must truth always make me die?
Let me break!
Let me bleed!
Let me tear myself apart I need to breathe!
Let me lose my way!
Let me walk astray!
Maybe to proceed...
Just let me bleed!
Let me drain!
Let me die!
Let me break the things I love I need to cry!
Let me burn it all!
Let me take my fall!
Through the cleansing fire!
Now let me die!
Let me die...
Let me out
Let me fade into that pitch-black velvet night
@ValentinAngelov1999
Such a piece of art. This song is helping me so much in a bad period at the moment. Respect for Pain of Salvation.
@ValentinAngelov1999
After 2 years...I have endured heavy drug addiction the hard way, but with the help of great bands like these...This really helped me.
@alanwatts8239
@Valentin Angelov Stay strong man! you are not alone!
@ValentinAngelov1999
@Gabriel Everything is going great without drugs in my life... I found love and got a stable job. Going on tour in Europe with my band in a month and I've never been more happy.
Thanks, Gabriel :). The best to you, man!
@JoaoPachecooo
@Valentin Angelov Wish you all the best bro ^^ hope you stay like that forever and enjoy every second of it
@gelflingmama
Hope things are better now. ❤️❤️❤️
@luthientinuviel7560
"Undertow"
Let me go
Let me go
Let me seek the answer that I need to know
Let me find a way
Let me walk away
Through the Undertow
Please let me go
Let me fly
Let me fly
Let me rise against that blood-red velvet sky
Let me chase it all
Break my wings and fall
Probably survive
So let me fly
Let me fly...
Let me run
Let me run
Let me ride the crest of chance into the sun
You were always there
But you may lose me here
Now love me if you dare
And let me run
I'm alive and I am true to my heart now - I am I,
but why must truth always make me die?
Let me break!
Let me bleed!
Let me tear myself apart I need to breathe!
Let me lose my way!
Let me walk astray!
Maybe to proceed...
Just let me bleed!
Let me drain!
Let me die!
Let me break the things I love I need to cry!
Let me burn it all!
Let me take my fall!
Through the cleansing fire!
Now let me die!
Let me die...
Let me out
Let me fade into that pitch-black velvet night
@cesarst3720
You Can hear the Pain in his voice...
@synthetic5947
This is not just a music track, this is all fine arts coming together and expressed in notes. No words currently exist to describe the emotions this amalgam of perfection and ultimate expression generates. We hope one day they return. We missed you like this.
@damiandiaz8026
And so they did!.. lml