One
thing I have learned thru the years, when you are dealing with
Pain of Salvation is that you have to expect the unexpected! I
have had a special place for Pain of Salvation ever since my
first experience with Daniel Gildenlöw and his universe, which was
shortly after the release of 'One Hour by the Concrete Lake' in 1999
and with each albums they've pushed the boundaries of progressive
metal, exploring new territories and introducing new and exiting
sounds to their ever-growing musical landscape. And 'Scarsick' is
just another step up the latter, and I am sure this album will leave
many a fan wondering why Daniel has chosen this path this time
around!
Pain
of Salvation
has always been working in the outskirts of progressive metal,
working with unorthodox sounds, flirting with unique sounds and
styles, and 'Scarsick' is just another piece in the big puzzle.
Their flirtation with strange sounds reaches another high with the
introduction of disco-sounds on "Disco Queen" - yeah you read right;
disco! The first time I heard the intro and chorus on "Disco Queen"
I absolutely hated it, now I think it's one of the best songs on the
album!
The album kicks off with another surprising track - the title track,
which has a very strong Clawfinger feel to the vocals, not their
best moment and not the ideal opener.
"Spitfall" on the other hand is everything I love and cherish about
Pain of Salvation with its complexity and atmosphere.
"Cribcaged" is an intoxicating ballad. Turn out the lights, close
your eyes and enjoy the ride - one of my favorite songs on the
album.
"America" reminds me of a heavier version of A.C.T - happy pop rock
with an almost danceable beat to it; another unorthodox song, which
I love now - but I had my problems with the first couple of times.
"Disco Queen" is up next...
After
a hard and troublesome start to the album things drift into to more
known territory, the rest of the songs are more "typical" Pain of
Salvation if you can even use this term about this band? They
are all of the usual high standard, and some the aggression some
might have missed on the album pops up in "Flame to the Moth" with
its Pantera-like background vocals. But the best is kept at the very
end of the album: "Enter Rain" is maybe (?) the best Pain of
Salvation song ever - an 10 minutes plus epic of monumental
proportions.
The
lyrical side of things is as always an important part of the concept
and I could write a lot about them, but I won't. They are dealing
with socio-critical topics in the usual serious manner with a nice
portion of irony and sarcasm. Daniel Gildenlöw is one the few
lyricists I actually take the time to deal with seriously.
The production is crystal clear, leaving just enough room for
everyone to shine - just listen the bass guitar sound; it's very
seldom so upfront and clean.
I was
a huge fan before 'Scarsick', and I still am! Some of the journeys
they take on this album totally caught me off guard, and I needed
quite a few spins for this album to fully open up. Now I love
everything about it - even though it doesn't quite reach the same
heights for me as 'The Perfect Element, Pt. 1' or 'Remedy Lane' did.
This album is deep, complex, progressive, innovative and even after
15 rotations in my CD-player (and Ipod) I still discover new things
and sounds, and I am sure it'll get its fair share of spins in the
months to come...
Have
my (high) hopes for this album been met? You bet and then some -
brilliant and the first real highlight of 2007 for me!
Recommended: "Cribcaged",
"America", "Disco Queen" & "Enter Rain".
