Tag: Pain Of Salvation

Review – Pain Of Salvation – Panther

Pain of Salvation have been firmly at the forefront of the progressive
rock and metal scenes for nearly three decades now. Led by mercurial multi-instrumentalist Daniel Gildenlöw, the Swedish band have consistently demonstrated a sincere passion for moving their own extraordinary music forward, while always remaining lyrically enlightened and ferociously intelligent.

The leaders in thoughtful, pained and poignant progressive-metal music, the band have had a stellar career that has produced ten studio albums and included such highlights as ‘Scarsick’, ‘Remedy Lane’, ‘Road Salt One’, ‘Road Salt Two’ and their brilliant previous release ‘In the Passing Light Of Day’. From elaborate and pointedly metal early classics through obtuse wizardry and genre-blurring mischief, Pain of Salvation’s all-encompassing musical vision has delivered some of contemporary prog’s most brave, bold and startling moments.

The band returned this year having deftly weathered the departure of guitarist Ragnar Zolberg, discovering a newfound enthusiasm for what happens next in the process.

“We did In The Passing Light Of Day and that ended with the departure of Ragnar from the band,” Gildenlöw recalls. “In the past, 10 or 20 years ago, that would probably have made me doubt the future of the band and all of that. I went through that a lot in the past with members leaving or things not turning out in a good way! It’s always difficult and it’s always something that makes you sad, when your little band family is disrupted, but I never came to the point where I doubted where to go or what to do. The other band members were pushing us on to continue, so I just kept writing music.”

The result of that sustained surge of creativity is ‘PANTHER’, the eleventh Pain of Salvation album and a very obvious landmark release in a career full of them. ‘PANTHER’ is a concept piece that delves into the conflicts and contradictions between so-called normal people and those who are wired entirely differently.

This is an album full of creativity and power, a simmering melting pot of brooding desire and thunderous riffs that creates a body of work leviathan in scope and content.

The edgy, almost funky opening track Accelerator gives a restless, tense feel to the music before opening into a sparse soundscape dominated by Daniel’s vocal before the stark, blasted landscape of Unfuture hoves into view, hewn from granite and taking no prisoners, “Welcome to the new world…”, indeed…

Gildenlöw has always been the master of simple, severe beauty and that is delivered in spades on the sublime Restless Boy, a song thats rawness is there for all to see. “This is not a test..” Pain of Salvation have a knack of producing songs that drip with bare emotion and Wait drops perfectly into that category with a simple piano note and acoustic guitar laying the foundations for a wistful and nostalgic piece of music that lives long in the memory. As graceful a song will be hard to find on any progressive-metal album.

So, who fancies a bit of electro-ambient progressive rock? Sounds an odd combination doesn’t it but PoS make it work brilliantly on Keen to A Fault, a fast paced, stylish track that works amazingly well. Fur is a short interlude that speaks to me of Eastern European 50’s film noire and segues into the title track. Well, what can I say about PANTHER? It’s superb, a complete melding of rap, oriental sounds and electronica that sounds like nothing else the band have ever done. It’s more akin to Linkin Park than anything else and, well, it’s just brilliant!

The final two tracks are Pain Of Salvation at their very, very best. The slow burning, monolithic power of Species has a simmering build up to a crescendo of crushing guitars and heartfelt vocals and then Icon closes the album out with humility and style in a similar vein to the title track from ‘In The Passing Light Of Day’. At once intense and dynamic, then calm and thoughtful, this is a song that contains all that is best about the band and showcases Daniel Gildenlöw’s consistent ability to write masterpieces of music.

One of the highlights of the year and an album that could become a seminal progressive-metal release, Pain Of Salvation have created a piece of music that could well be their finest yet.

Released 28th August 2020

Order PANTHER here:

http://painofsalvation.com/store/

Pain of Salvation – New single/video “RESTLESS BOY” taken from upcoming album “PANTHER”

Sweden’s Pain of Salvation move another step closer to the release of their upcoming new studio album “PANTHER”, due out August 28th, 2020 worldwide via InsideOutMusic. 

Today, the Progressive Metal/Rock innovators launch their new single “RESTLESS BOY”, in the stunning video, scripted/directed by Lars Ardarve and Daniel Gildenlöw and filmed/edited by Lars Ardarve, which can be seen here: 

Pain of Salvation’s Daniel Gildenlöw commented about the song and video as follows:

“We are happy and proud to present to you our newest video, for the song ‘RESTLESS BOY’, our second single from the upcoming album ‘PANTHER’. Once again, we have worked together with the wonderful and skilful Lars Ardarve, and we had a great time, as always. It’s so rewarding to work together with someone who you know so well since way back and with whom you share a similar mindset and creative drive, and we are all so happy with the result. 

Since the video also includes a stage setup, we got to hook up with our amazing crew for the first time in way too long, so it was in many ways the closest we have come to touring this year. Just as with the ‘ACCELERATOR’ video, we shot parts of this video in Skjulstahallen (Eskilstuna), and want to send lots of love and kudos to Lotta Nilsson at IKEG for helping us to arrange this! 

‘RESTLESS BOY’ may not be the most expected or given second single, but it felt important to give it that space, because of all that it is. And despite it’s few components, it is a grower. Live with it for a while and you’ll see. Also, it was a song for which a video idea just came to me so naturally. A video where every scene would be a play with time and speed. Experienced time versus reality. That feeling that has been with me through my entire life – that time is emotionally flexible and suddenly just bends around your mind and thoughts.

You see, ‘RESTLESS BOY’ is about myself and everyone else out there who feel that we are going through life at a different speed than our contexts and surroundings. Passion oriented people who daydream and shift pace depending on situation. F1 cars failing to meet the expectations of our small suburban community. Goal rationalists in a method rationalistic system. Panthers in a dog’s world. 

This song grew out of the song ‘Full Throttle Tribe’, just like the entire ‘PANTHER’ album did in many ways. The tribe that fills every page of every history book that you have ever read. The spectrum people. The brilliant, the crazy, the fools, the gifted and the troubled. The beautiful restless boys and girls!

The filming was intense and a lot of fun. Long hours and very little sleep. I specifically remember the second day of filming, when we shot all the scenes in the car with Léo driving. I had edited a version of the song that went to half speed between every vocal phrase, so that we could speed up the video between phrases. I heard that odd version of the song so many times that it increasingly started to feel like the normal version. (Lars actually got very hooked on that version, so I might have to make him a special mix.) Anyway, after a long day of sitting in the car and singing while we passed by the different scenes we had set up with Sandrian and Gabriel in dog masks outside the car window (they likely did not feel all that comfortable standing in dog masks in central Eskilstuna, holding an umbrella, but they were troopers), we needed some city night shots, so we headed for Stockholm. I still wonder what that one pedestrian was thinking, looking into our car as we stopped at a red-light well past midnight and I was throwing myself back and forth in the backseat wearing a german shepherd rubber mask that I was apparently trying to get off. Whatever he was thinking, he is probably still thinking it. That’s simply not one of those images you can get off your retinas easily. 🙂 

We really hope you like this video – we do, and we are very proud of it. We can’t wait for the world to ease back into something close enough to normality for touring to be possible again. Meanwhile, find comfort in these videos/singles and the upcoming album, and know that due to the lack of touring, a silver lining is that we can keep writing and recording even more new music for you all. Until we meet the next time!” 

Previously, the album’s opening track/single “ACCELERATOR” was launched in a video, also scripted/directing by Lars Ardarve and Daniel Gildenlöw and filmed/edited by Lars Ardarve, here:

“PANTHER”, the follow-up release to 2017’s “In The Passing Light Of Day” album, was recorded, mixed and produced by Daniel Gildenlöw with Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames, Meshuggah, Devin Townsend) and comes with a comprehensive artwork-theme with illustrations made by André Meister. 

Pain of Salvation – “PANTHER”:
Track-listing:

1. ACCELERATOR

2. UNFUTURE

3. RESTLESS BOY

4. WAIT

5. KEEN TO A FAULT

6. FUR

7. PANTHER

8. SPECIES

9. ICON

Next to the standard CD and the Digital Album formats, ”PANTHER” will also be available as limited 2CD Mediabook (Including expanded artwork and the following 4 bonus tracks on a separate disc: “PANTHER (demo)”, “KEEN TO A FAULT (demo)”, “FIFI GRUFFI” and “UNFOREVER”) and as 180g. Gatefold 2LP (Including the 4 bonus tracks on Side D and album on CD as bonus), in the following variations:

Black vinyl – Unlimited

Deep blood red vinyl – 100x copies from IOM Webshop Europe (Sold out!)
Transparent blue vinyl – 300x copies from CM Distro
Transparent green vinyl – 200x copies from EMP

Lilac vinyl – 200x copies from JPC

White vinyl – 200x copies from Pain of Salvation (Sold out!)

Transparent yellow vinyl – 100x copies from Pain of Salvation (Sold out!)

The pre-order for “PANTHER” in its various formats is available here:

https://PainofSalvation.lnk.to/Panther

Pain of Salvation – Launch first single/video for opening track “ACCELERATOR” from new album “PANTHER”

Album pre-order starting today!

Firmly at the forefront of the progressive rock and metal scenes for nearly three decades now and one of modern rock’s most acclaimed live acts, Sweden’s Pain of Salvation return with a new studio album entitled “PANTHER”, due out August 28th, 2020 worldwide via InsideOutMusic. 

A first single and video (Directed by Lars Ardarve) off “PANTHER” is being debuted today. 
Check out the album’s opening track “ACCELERATOR” here:

Pain of Salvation’s Daniel Gildenlöw checked in with the following comment about the song/video:

“It has been brilliant to work with Lars for a video, after all these years of photographing. We think alike and always have a blast when we work together. We had three very long days of shooting it, only Lars and us in the band in Skjulstahallen, a large gymnastics hall kindly provided by IKEG. As per usual, I found myself in weird situations, like making high flips and jumps over Lars’ head. We are very happy with this video and think it’s the perfect kickoff for the PANTHER album.“ 

“PANTHER”, the follow-up release to 2017’s “In The Passing Light Of Day” album, was recorded, mixed and produced by Daniel Gildenlöw with Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames, Meshuggah, Devin Townsend) and comes with a comprehensive artwork-theme with illustrations made by André Meister. 

Pain of Salvation – “PANTHER”:
Track-listing:

1. ACCELERATOR

2. UNFUTURE

3. RESTLESS BOY

4. WAIT

5. KEEN TO A FAULT

6. FUR

7. PANTHER

8. SPECIES

9. ICON 

Next to the standard CD and the Digital Album formats, ”PANTHER” will also be available as limited 2CD Mediabook (Including expanded artwork and the following 4 bonus tracks on a separate disc: “PANTHER (demo)”, “KEEN TO A FAULT (demo)”, “FIFI GRUFFI” and “UNFOREVER”) and as 180g. Gatefold 2LP (Including the 4 bonus tracks on Side D and album on CD as bonus), in the following variations:

Black vinyl – Unlimited

Deep blood red vinyl – 100x copies from IOM Webshop Europe
Transparent blue vinyl – 300x copies from CM Distro
Transparent green vinyl – 200x copies from EMP

Lilac vinyl – 200x copies from JPC

White vinyl – 200x copies from Pain of Salvation

Transparent yellow vinyl – 100x copies from Pain of Salvation 

The pre-order for “PANTHER” in its various formats is started today here:

https://PainofSalvation.lnk.to/Panther

“PANTHER” album trailer: https://youtu.be/njgmgECkFBw

Look out for more news about Pain of Salvation and “PANTHER” soon…Pain of Salvation line-up:
Daniel Gildenlöw – lead vocals and lots of stuffJohan Hallgren – guitar and vocalsLéo Margarit – drums and vocalsDaniel Karlsson – keyboards, guitars and vocalsGustaf Hielm – bass and vocals 

Pain of Salvation discography:

Entropia –1997

One Hour by the Concrete Lake – 1998

The Perfect Element, Part I – 2000

Remedy Lane – 2002

12:5 – 2004

BE – 2004

BE DVD – 2005

Scarsick – 2007

Ending Themes DVD – 2009

Linoleum EP – 2009

Road Salt One – 2010

Road Salt Two – 2011

Falling Home – 2014

Remedy Lane Re:visited (Re:mixed & Re:lived) – 2016

In the Passing Light of Day – 2017

PANTHER – 2020

BE PROG! MY FRIEND FESTIVAL ADD PLINI TO THE LINE-UP FOR 2018

Named as the ‘Event of the Year’ at this year’s Progressive Music Awards, Barcelona based festival Be Prog! My Friend recently announced that Sons of Apollo and Pain of Salvation will play in 2018. Today they have now revealed that Australian virtuoso Plini will join the line-up for next year. The festival organisers comment:

‘Plini the Australian guitar master, is coming to Be Prog! after a recent successful headline tour to promote his album ‘Handmade Cities’. Despite his youth, Plini is now recognized as one Australia’s most important acts within the progressive scene. Albums like ‘The End of Everything’ and ‘Sweet Nothings’ are fine examples of what this talented young musician is able to do and his fresh and dynamic stage show will dazzle the audience at next year’s festival’

Plini himself adds, ‘Barcelona is one of my favourite cities in the world to visit, let alone perform in, so it’s going to be an absolute treat to get to play in such a beautiful setting as a part of what will surely be an epic lineup. Can’t wait!’

Be Prog! My Friend which has played host to the likes of Opeth, Steven Wilson, Anathema, Devin Townsend, TesseracT, The Pineapple Thief, Magma, Agent Fresco, Camel, Meshuggah, Katatonia, Riverside, Ulver, Animals as Leaders, Ihsahn, Alcest, Jethro Tull and Marillion will take place on 29th and 30th June next year.

Tickets are on sale now priced at 130 Euros.

‘And so Prog finds itself in love with Barcelona, the delightful weather and everything that Be Prog! My Friend has to offer’ – Prog Magazine

‘The leading festival for progressive music in Spain, showcased avant-garde music in a magnificent location’ – The Independent

‘Set in the hazy sunlit square of Barcelona’s historic and quite stunning Poble Espanyol, it certainly beats the sodden mud of the British festival season’ – Total Guitar Magazine

‘If nothing else, it proves that prog is alive and kicking. Especially in Catalonia’ – Classic Rock Magazine

http://www.beprogmyfriend.com/

facebook.com/beprogmyfriend 

Be Prog! My Friend takes place in the heart of Barcelona and with an airport only 12km away, regular, cheap flights make it an easy festival to get and from the UK. Bands will start playing from mid/late afternoon each day which will also mean visitors have plenty of time to explore the stunning city of Barcelona while they are there.

http://www.barcelonaturisme.com

Barcelona based festival Be Prog! My Friend to return in 2018 with Sons of Apollo and Pain of Salvation

Named as the ‘Event of the Year’ at this year’s Progressive Music Awards, Barcelona based festival Be Prog! My Friend is set to return in 2018 for its 5th edition. Having played host to the likes of Opeth, Steven Wilson, Anathema, Devin Townsend, TesseracT, The Pineapple Thief, Magma, Agent Fresco, Camel, Meshuggah, Katatonia, Riverside, Ulver, Animals as Leaders, Ihsahn, Alcest, Jethro Tull and Marillion the festival will take place on 29th and 30th June next year.

Held in the beautiful open air surroundings of Poble Espanyol – a huge stone built architectural museum – the site is one of the most important and striking landmarks of tourism in Barcelona. Whilst by day the Catalonian hotspot may play host to some of Barcelona’s most interesting historical articles, by the end of June it will instead play host to some of the world’s finest progressive artists. The first two bands to be confirmed for next year’s festival are Sons of Apollo and Pain of Salvation.

The festival organisers comment:

‘We are very pleased to share with you the first two bands for the 5th Be Prog! My Friend festival. Sons of Apollo are a supergroup featuring Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Billy Sheehan and Jeff Scott Soto who have joined forces to create this amazing project. This is the first European show they’ve announced. They will release ‘Psychotic Symphony’ next month but if you have listened to their song “Coming Home” you know that this is a supergroup who can create brilliant music to back it up. This is really a very special opportunity to see all these names on the same stage. Joining them are Pain of Salvation who recently released their colossal album ‘In The Passing Light Of Day’ which has made them a must see in the progressive world. Seeing them live is simply a blast so for the festival next year we needed to have them play. 

A limited number of 200 tickets are on sale now priced at 100 Euros before rising to the final price of 130 Euros.

‘And so Prog finds itself in love with Barcelona, the delightful weather and everything that Be Prog! My Friend has to offer’ – Prog Magazine

‘The leading festival for progressive music in Spain, showcased avant-garde music in a magnificent location’ – The Independent

‘Set in the hazy sunlit square of Barcelona’s historic and quite stunning Poble Espanyol, it certainly beats the sodden mud of the British festival season’ – Total Guitar Magazine

‘If nothing else, it proves that prog is alive and kicking. Especially in Catalonia’ – Classic Rock Magazine

http://www.beprogmyfriend.com/

facebook.com/beprogmyfriend 

Be Prog! My Friend takes place in the heart of Barcelona and with an airport only 12km away, regular, cheap flights make it an easy festival to get and from the UK. Bands will start playing from mid/late afternoon each day which will also mean visitors have plenty of time to explore the stunning city of Barcelona while they are there.

http://www.barcelonaturisme.com

Review – Pain Of Salvation – In The Passing Light Of Day – By Emma Roebuck

Another reason to thank the late great Geoff Banks is for his recommendation of Pain Of Salvation, ‘Remedy Lane‘ was my first introduction to them. When I was given the opportunity to review the new release, I bit Martin’s hands off.

On the first play through I was unsure, to be truthful it felt like Daniel Gildenlow was grasping for something with this album. I was hoping for another ‘Salt Road’ I suppose but then I read the press pack and realised that this is an album of recovery and loss. Looking at it through that prism, the album is deeply personal and reflects what I recognise as Daniel voicing his recent history, one of a near fatal illness and the slow recovery to full strength and vigour.

The album is full of light, shade and some very dark music with all you would expect from PoS, the heavy riffs, thundering drums; the sonic assaults all there in abundance.

There is also a goodly amount of experimentation, subtlety and sensitivity in there too. The album kicks off with “On A Tuesday”, this is a full on classic PoS track coming in at 10 minutes plus with a metallic introduction coming at the listener like a supercharged tank then dropping off into in almost acoustic piano synth combination and, at times, I can hear an Arthur Brown like quality to Daniel’s voice.

“Full Throttle Tribe” Instantly hits you more than any other track. The riff from the keys becomes the refrain that runs through the whole track. Here we have a song relating to the need to belong and have some kind of person or people to call your own. It hammers home only relenting occasionally for breaths of reflective stillness before ripping back into chaotic riffology. Then it vanishes to the electronic pings of hospital machinery and ends in an industrial dark melee.

“Angels Of Broken Things” is as near as this album has to a pop song. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t Justin Bieber territory but it is accessible and has a tension building bass line that drags you along seeking release when the spring is close to breaking.  If Pink Floyd were young and still around this would their “One Of These Days”. It’s an ode to the angels on the wards and nod of thank you to them.

The Title track “The Passing Light Of Day” is a 15 minute epic that starts with pipe organ keyboards as if from a 60s BBC Children’s Programme then goes into an aching beautiful track describing loss, redemption and recovery.  From the sound of the fingers sliding up and down the guitar strings to the plaintiff voice pleading against the inevitabilities of life you ache throughout the whole track. The band are restrained on this track and it shows their understanding of space and its importance in music.

This is not an album where you will instantly fall in love with whether you have been desperate for a new PoS album or not. It is worthy of the name of a good album. A classic? That is not for me to judge but it definitely is worth listening to if you like Progressive Music on the harder side. I’d say it will stand out in the genre in 2017. If you like Dream Theater or their ilk go here if you already haven’t done so. If you want to dip your toe in the water this may be a good introduction to this aspect of the genre. There is also a vinyl deluxe version for the collector and completists out there.

The album is littered with some great music and is a rebirth of the band as a force to be reckoned with. Worth the wait? I believe so.

Released 13th January 2017

Buy ‘In The Passing Light Of Day’ from InsideOut Music

 

 

Pain of Salvation announce details of new album ‘In The Passing Light Of Day’

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Swedish progressive rock/metal innovators Pain of Salvation have announced the worldwide release of their long-awaited new studio album ‘In the Passing Light of Day’ for Friday the 13th of January, 2017 via their longtime label partners InsideOutMusic.

Working together with acclaimed producer Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames, Meshuggah, Strapping Young Lad, etc.) at Dugout Studio in Sweden, the band have crafted an album that sees them returning to their much praised heavier sound, featuring the syncopated rhythms, glorious melodies, and intensely personal themes that Pain of Salvation fans have long loved about the band.

Inextricably linked to the near fatal illness that band-leader Daniel Gildenlöw spent much of the first half of 2014 recovering from, the album is an altogether darker and more impassioned journey. Taking the hospital bed as a narrative hub, the lyrical and musical themes touch on all the conflicting feelings that run through a person’s mind when presented with the prospect of death and the passing of life.

The album will be available as a special edition 2CD Mediabook (including expanded 48-pages booklet, several in-depth texts by conceptual author Daniel Gildenlöw, demo material & band commentary tracks), standard jewelcase CD, gatefold 180g 2LP vinyl plus album on CD as bonus & digital download.