Fourth album from our Swedish friends and the fourth concept album in a row. And wouldn't you know it, their best so far. Over the years so-called prog metal bands have blossomed all over the planet. Firmly rooted in the Dream Theater legacy a lot of these bands simply stem from an ordinary metal band who have added keyboards to make it sound a little more complex, a little more adventurous. In the case of Pain Of Salvation the progressive nature is there because this band allows its music to really be progressive without shunning acoustic passages or classical influences. Resulting from Daniel Gildenlφw's weird nightmare fantasies, Pain of Salvation doesn't impose hard hitting guitars all over the place, doesn't necessarily imply that the drums should remove the pictures on your wall. If the music demands a quiet approach you will get a quiet approach. When the music has to sound like a tempest it will sound like thunder and lightning! And often these two worlds collide into one, resulting in some of the stronger melodies ever to be unleashed into this musical genre. Just embrace "Ending Theme" with its bombastic classical intro, superb guitar solos and even the introduction of "almost rap" adding to the storytelling contents. Also, the way it blends into "Fandango" is a nice piece of originality. Daniel's singing is out of this world here, introducing clever passages backed by some simple piano chords at one (small) point even heading towards a little jazz. With the gentle "This Heart Of Mine" I have to think of the band White Willow, although a track like King Crimson's "Moonchild" springs to mind as well. A wonderful song with subtle playing from all musicians. One of the strong factors in the world of Pain of Salvation is the strong sense of melody, melodies which, even as a stand-alone, still shine as powerful as you can ever imagine. Take the guitar in the intro for "Undertow" which, blended with Daniel's singing, is sufficient enough to keep you interested throughout. Add to that the simple piano and the snareless drums and you have another PoS classic in the making, which to me even holds some hidden Pink Floyd elements. "Rope Ends" toys around with odd time signatures and blistering guitar pyrotechnics and vocal harmonies. You won't believe what you hear once "Chain Sling" hits your speakers as it's as if you are catapulted back into medieval times. That Gryphon or Blackmore's Night feel goes one further with the brilliant "Dryad Of The Woods," a gentle song which illustrates the quality and talent of PoS. I bet you could buy the full album for this song alone! The acoustic guitar in the intro for "Second Love" kind of reminds me of the M*A*S*H hit [theme] "Suicide Is Painless" introducing yet another soft acoustic interlude in the work of Pain of Salvation. The album closes with "Beyond The Pale" offering us the "vintage" sound of the band with the right balance between hard passages and softer moments with a slight hint of the medieval atmosphere as a bonus. The guitar solo takes us right back to the heydays of Ritchie Blackmore! No doubt Remedy Lane will result in an extra addition of fans and more recognition in the top regions of the prog metal world. In a very short period of time the band has become Dream Theater's little brother and they deserve it every step of the way! Reviewed by: John 'Bobo' Bollenberg |
