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
Void Of Her
Pain of Salvation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Verse 1:
She’s a one-way ticket to the skin within
To the glowing screens and the fickle faces
Her tourniquet locks her up inside
And feeds her brain with images of sorrow
Chorus:
She asks me how I know
What she’s going through, how I feel her pain
But I keep silent, for I cannot tell her
That I’ve been there myself, that I know her well
Verse 2:
She’s a paper bird, fragile and thin
With a heart-shaped hole in the midst of her chest
Her edges crumble when I try to grasp her
And she fades away between my fingers
Chorus:
She asks me how I know
What she’s going through, how I feel her pain
But I keep silent, for I cannot tell her
That I’ve been there myself, that I know her well
Bridge:
Oh, she’s the void of her, the echo of our past
The child that wanders and the stray that strays
She’s the azure sky and the ground beneath
The light in our eyes when we still believed
Chorus:
She asks me how I know
What she’s going through, how I feel her pain
But I keep silent, for I cannot tell her
That I’ve been there myself, that I know her well
In "Void of Her," Pain of Salvation's lead singer and songwriter, Daniel Gildenlöw, sings about a woman who is trapped in her own world, consumed by her phone and social media. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who has lost touch with reality, unable to connect with others and constantly seeking validation from strangers on the internet. The song is a poignant commentary on the negative effects of technology on human relationships and mental health.
Interestingly, the song was written in response to a fan who reached out to Gildenlöw and shared her own struggles with addiction to technology. She asked him how he knew what she was going through, and "Void of Her" was his answer. The song has resonated with many fans who have shared similar experiences and feelings of isolation.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw her face torn between fight and surrender
Her face was caught between the struggle to resist and the willingness to give in.
The war that only fools will enter
The conflict that only fools would choose to participate in.
A flame that with a glance will burn her
A passion that, with even a brief look, will consume her completely.
Yet in her eyes I sense no anger
Despite the chaos raging around her, I detect no sign of anger in her gaze.
No resentment or frustration so pure
There exists within her no grudges or irritation that are as genuine.
How can she purely smile so sure
How can she be capable of smiling so genuinely, so full of conviction?
When I am lost, she is my compass darling
When I feel disoriented, she points me in the right direction, my dear.
But if her light goes out I'm stumbling
However, if her light is extinguished, I would be completely lost.
This angel has become so vital
This angel has become so crucial to me.
An existence I cannot imagine
An existence without her presence, something I cannot fathom.
The void of her defines my life
The absence of her characterizes my life.
And wraps me in its cold embrace
And surrounds me with its chilling embrace.
Love everlasting, but in what dimension
Enduring love, yet what plane of existence does it extend to?
I see no way to grasp and hold it
I cannot conceive of a way to seize and retain this love.
To quell the void without shape
To still the formless emptiness that pervades me.
And to make her forever mine to treasure
And to keep her forever as my cherished possession.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Daniel Gildenloew
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind