Ελληνικά
Genre: Progressive Rock
Country: Sweden
Company: Inside Out Records
Year:2014
“I’ve always wanted PAIN OF SALVATION to be the fastest car in town, knowing that we can stop at any red light and know that there’s no competition when it turns green.” (Daniel Gildenlow)
Pain of Salvation return after a short period of inactivity and a very serious health-related risk of their ‘captain’ Daniel! I couldn’t help but wonder, at first, with the production of a second acoustic album from basically a metal/rock band, no matter how peculiar its sound is. Their first acoustic album (“12:5”, 2004) left me quite ecstatic, having bowed to the genius and imagination of Daniel Gildenlow and co (I will never forget how positively shocked I was, when out of nowhere I heard that joyful, distorted version of their hit song “Ashes”). What was enticing even more, was the fact that with their latest release, they offer a whole new perspective to many performances of their well-known (and thoroughly studied) back catalogue. Mr. Gildenlow talks of unfinished business, with regards to what drove them to such a release and I take his word on that, judging by the band’s progress and musical orientation over the course of the past 5 years.
So…live at the studio? Well yes, since a scheduled acoustic live recording at a stage in Germany, a couple of years back, never took place..what a treat for eyes and ears that would be, having seen dozens of videos on YouTube that bear witness of a vintage aesthetic, a cozy atmosphere and some special guests like Anneke van Giersbergen. In our case, we’ll have to settle with the lovely artwork by Daniel Gildenlow himself.
Considering the songs on this recording:
Stress: One of two songs on the album from their early years. It starts with a pretty good vibe actually! It’s not your typical “lounge” performance that you listen to for relaxation. It’s actually a new approach to the song with the dynamics and the freshness that the new, steady and well-equipped line-up has brought in the game.
Linoleum: What a treat! First time we really hear the new vocal dynamics in the group. Ragnar Zolberg is no Johan Halgren. There’s evidently a different vibe in the air and that makes thing more interesting!
To The Shoreline: Not that many differences to the original piece, although the epic feel is still there.
Holy Diver: OK….it’s like I’m listening to Paul Anka on a swing-lounge-reggae rendition of the song! I won’t get into much detail because I’m pretty certain it will come as a shock to many listeners. Even though I consider myself open to sonic experimentations, I think this is a major flaw in the whole project. I can only take it as a funny, light-hearted effort to cool-off in the studio. If the band felt the need to provoke, then they did it by all means…
1979: Second piece from the “Road Salt Two” album. This is one that stands out for its simplicity, even though you can’t shake its melody of your head. I realize that songs from their most recent releases are the ones that get “tweaked” less and this comes to show that they stand by their latest musical explorations. It only feels natural that this was their song of choice for an official video release.
Chain Sling: Exceptional piece from an outstanding record (Remedy Lane, 2002). The performance is flawless and very similar to the original song.
Perfect Day: Cover number two on one of the most well-known songs by Lou Reed. This is definitely a wiser choice and hats-off for the cool sounds, the great atmosphere and Daniel’s soulful performance.
Mrs Modern Mother Mary: Now we have three songs in a row from what I see as their “darker” release to date, “Scarsick” (2007). But wait, what have we here? Is this a bit more uplifting or what now? Interesting!!
Flame To The Moth: Now we’re talking about a totally different approach to the piece! You hardly recognize it at first. It sounds so fresh that it makes me wonder how much better this version would have fit in their studio album in the first place.
Spitfall: Bit of a numb start, overally a weird song and I don’t see at first the reason they picked this song. “Disco Queen” or even “America”, from the same record, would have given a lighter mood to the whole project. Thumbs up to the fine sounds in the keys by Daniel Karlsson and as the song reaches the end I must say it gets better and better.
Falling Home: A beautiful, nostalgic melody in this original composition, the first of many collaborations (I hope) between Daniel and Ragnar. Judging by Ragnar’s solo releases, the outcome doesn’t come as a surprise and serves as a nice conclusion to this record.
In overall, this album is definitely not a “lounge” recording, if that’s what the term “acoustic” stands for you. There’s a lot of energy in it and I can say that operation “Live at the studio” was a complete success! On the downside, there’s the Holy Diver cover that seems a bit out of context, even though it doesn’t lack imagination. I should also note the small duration of the album, because we’ve grown accustomed to longer ones by bands like PoS and their likes. On the other hand, maybe they were aiming exactly at what’s not expected of them. Regarding the players: After many people coming in and out over the past few years, we seem to witness a steady line-up of amazing musicians, where everyone contributes vocally (something never achieved before in this band). They deliver nothing but accurate and solid performances on those “demanding” songs, while at the same time they adopt a more direct and loosened attitude. Call it greater freedom in song interpretation. I honestly think it’s the best possible line-up anyone could have wished for.
To sum up, this release is a wise strategic decision as it buys some time for the band to make plans for a new all-original album, that many people seem to long for. Despite all the bad luck, PoS seem to be in very good shape, with high morale that, hopefully, will translate to creativity in the very near future.
5/6
