Mini album review: Pain of Salvation

Pain of Salvation - Road Salt One

Wow, this is turning into a one-per-year review... I'll try to get back at it, even though I know that there's probably next to nobody who reads these. But I don't mind, it still exercises my English writing skills (I'm French-Canadian born, if you care to know...). Anyway, now on to the mini-review.

I have a love/hate relationship with Pain of Salvation. Or should I say love/indifference, because I don't hate them at all. There are many songs from them that I love, some albums even, namely Remedy Lane, 12:5 (one of very few live albums I actually like), and The Perfect Element. On the other hand, I have difficulty listening to other albums in their entirety. Be comes to mind, as well as Scarsick. But what I do appreciate from them, which is a constant in their music, is that they don't limit themselves to a style. They explore many facets of rock music, and they're not afraid to do it.

Speaking of exploring... Their latest album, which came out just about a month ago, is another different one. I hadn't read a lot about it, so it was kind of a surprise to me. Although I didn't expect anything in particular about this album, I didn't expect this! If you happen to have the special edition of the album, you'll hear the opening track What She Means To Me, that sounds like it was stolen from a Queen album from the 70's. It may sound like they were copying Queen, but I've never heard anyone do it this well. It sounds absolutely great. But that track is very short, and makes it seem more like an intro than anything else. I wished there was more of it.

But then it goes on to the second track (or first one on the regular version), No Way. Sounding very different from the first, Queen-like track, here again they're doing something that very few bands know how to do well today: sounding like a flashback to the 70's rock/blues scene, a bit like how Jethro Tull sounded before going almost strictly prog. I'm thinking the like of Tull's Benefit album. Also in the next tracks you'll find more variety, including the haunting Sisters, a very soulful Of Dust, and a track that sound as if you're in a circus (?). But all in all, the album is very early-70's sounding, using elements form rock, blues, soul, psychedelia and prog of the time, and done very well. Even some sound textures are reminiscent of the 70's, mostly the vocals: when Gildenlöw sings louder, the sound distorts, like you would hear on an early Zeppelin record.

I don't know if people will notice, but personally I think Pain of Salvation just came out with a gem.

My rating: ****½