Pain of Salvation have returned with an album that is surprising in every way. I was disappointed with Scarsick but Road Salt One has rekindled my love for the band. It is an album that only
Pain of Salvation could have made and one of those albums that should be discovered without knowing too much about it. In that way all its surprises will be that much more enjoyable. But how is that possible in this day and age? On top of that my review is rather late compared to the release date so I see no point in hiding any details. However, if you by chance stumbled onto this page and don't know anything about Road Salt One
and have an eclectic taste in music then don't read on, just trust me and buy this album.
Road Salt One is the most openly Beatles-inspired album
Pain of Salvation have ever done. Those expecting a new progressive metal masterpiece will feel like they have been visited by Confuse-a-metalhead Limited as the album opens with a couple of sweaty, bluesy tracks. Just listen to the guitar melody opening
No Way and tell me if that doesn't have a Beatles vibe. There is a back to basics feel to the song that suits it very well. The song harbors a lot of emotions and effectively brings them forth with determination and a will to bare it all.
There are several differences between the regular version of this song, which I actually prefer, and the version found on the limited edition of the album. I will get back to those later. What I am reviewing here is the regular version of the album.
No Way is a surprising opener for the hardcore
Pain of Salvation fan but a great one which grows with each listen.
There is a modern retro sound to the album and the production is outstanding. Somehow the album captures Daniel's voice in a way that has not been done before. His voice is very up front and constantly leaps out of the speakers. There is a feeling that he is sitting right beside the listener. There is a big sound on the album and the soundstage is huge.
The music is indefinable but brilliant. Take a song like
She Likes To Hide. I love the vibe of this song but can't describe it properly. The songs are so varied and hold so many different moods that they are really hard to pin down.
There are the mellow moments where
Sisters and
Road Salt are incredibly effective in giving the album some truly memorable moments. Then there are the groovy tracks like
She Likes To Hide,
No Way and
Tell Me You Don't Know which are simply a joy to listen to due to an effective rhythm and a timeless feel which suddenly becomes apparent. Then we have unique tracks
Of Dust and
Sleeping Under The Stars which give the album a very special vibe. There are more introverted tracks like
Tell me where it hurts and
Darkness of mine which both bring a haunting atmosphere to the album. And finally the "normal"
Pain of Salvation tracks, which I call them because they are the songs which are most in tune with their older material and more complicated if you will,
Linoleum,
Curiosity and
Innocence. These marry aggression, beauty and a slightly more direct approach in a whirlpool of emotions.
It is quite an album to gape over and should in most cases be taken in small mouthfuls to not suffer from constipation. Every song has something to offer though it is not immediately discovered.
The musicians are brilliant and it feels like there is a joy to play infused in the music. There are many many small details which stand out on repeated listens and keeps the album interesting and evolving.
Except
No Way, the first part of the album is all Daniel Gildenlöw. He sings and plays the majority of the instruments and I was quite amazed at this after reading the liner notes.
Now, for a few favorite moments...
A divine melody runs though
Sisters. I am almost lost for words when it comes to describing the all embracing effect the song has. There is a hypnotizing vibe in the music which perfectly captures a state of mind and delivers a very real atmosphere. Daniel sings in a voice that is pure emotion and this is up there with his very finest performances ever. The song is relaxed but builds a nearly unbearable tension, perfectly expressed and finally unleashed in the second to last chorus as Daniel sings
"Let this trembling moment pass us by". The song effectively captures a vast range of emotions, temptation being the central. I love everything about this song from the piano melody to the little nuances in Daniels voice. This is one of those rare songs that feels perfect.
Of Dust is a wonderfully atmospheric song that grows bigger and bigger through its 2½ minutes. There is a feel to his song which puts me in the middle of a huge theatre imagining I am experiencing a full blown musical.
My first impression of
Sleeping under the stars was "What the fuck???", but after a few listens it was clear to me that the song is brilliant. The mood, the lyrics and the music perfectly fit in the weirdest but most charming way.
Road Salt is beautiful. Simple as that. If beautiful goes from 1-10 then this is a 9. It doesn't get much more mellow or in-your-face as this. If there is one oddity that started standing out to me after several listens then it's the fact that it's not audible that Daniel draws his breath very often. The fact that Daniel's voice is so up close and personal gives this song its special vibe but not hearing him take in air and starting to focus on that gives the song a slightly "off" feel. Maybe it's just me but I noticed this and focus on it on occasion.
Innocence closes the album in a wonderful, if rather insane, way. Especially the bridge section of the song is a highlight.
The album excels in the mellow songs which bring out strong emotion. The rest of the songs take time to grow but they do with time and currently Road Salt One feels like one of those albums that I can listen to continually and never grow tired of. The lyrics is another area where the album excels. They are personal, grab hold of the listener and add dimensions to the music, thus being essential to get the full understanding of the album.
There are several important differences between the standard version of the album and the limited digipack edition. For starters the opening track on the limited edition,
What She Means To Me, is a bonus track which serves as a short intro and a nice build up to
No Way.
Secondly
No Way differs by being almost 2 minutes longer and has a different structure and lyrics. To me the extra verse sections are unnecessary and only underline a point already made. The direct lyrics in the extra sections make the song feel too pretentious, a balance the regular version hits perfectly. In the end this gives the emotional middle section less impact. I'll stick to the standard version. Having listened extensively to the regular promo version before I bought the limited edition, the extended
No Way just feels wrong somehow.
Road Salt has also been extended by a 1½ minute but it is less noticeable.
The limited edition has exquisite artwork and funny liner notes and it feels like it delivers a complete experience.
Pain of Salvation is a band that will never be fully categorized or described in a fulfilling way by mere words. They are a band that has to be discovered, explored and devoured by those with a healthy appetite for music without boundaries.
There are many reasons why I love music as much as I do. It is the only artform I have come across which is able to, so simply but in so many ways, move, surprise, inspire and entertain. Road Salt One does all these things and therefore I recommend it heartily.
To sum up and say the same thing in three completely different ways: It's different, unique and one of a kind. Get it!
Written by
Steen Thursday, July 22, 2010
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