Pain of salvation – In the passing light of day

Every once in a while my ears and my soul are lucky enough to be graced with an album that I instantly love and that I keep loving more and more with each listen. In the passing light of day is one of those rare records. Pain of salvation have always been an emotionally intense and compelling band, but with this record it seems like Daniel poured even more of himself than usual. After his brush with death due to a very aggressive bacteria and the subsequent recovery, he created a sort of concept album based on that experience and the turmoil he went through and this naked vulnerable reflection of himself into music is absolutely fascinating. Overall it’s a more aggressive album (what some have called “return to the roots”), but at the same time it’s more intimate and the calmer moments have a special gentleness.

On A Tuesday is one of those tracks typical for Pain of salvation, where they abruptly go through all sorts of rhythms and moods. It starts off aggressively, becomes melodious during the verse, is followed by a gut-wrenching chorus and a sorrowful and ethereal bridge, before briskly returning to the dissonant part in the beginning. The chorus is very touching in its vivid description of “the things humans say to survive” and the unrest when faced with the prospect of death, but it’s the ending that steals my heart, with a much awaited and satisfying explosion, slowly prepared by the electronic build up before. It’s intense, it’s melodious and it’s simply beautiful. With such a solid beginning, I can’t wait to see what this album has to offer. 

Tongue Of God surprises yet again, as it walks you through various changes between settled&melancholic and aggressive&impassioned. It sounds a bit like nu-metal, with a lot of anger and disgust overflowing from Daniel’s amazingly versatile voice.

Meaningless deals with using sex and cheating as a means of comfort and the music and story intertwine in a very interesting way, as multilayered sonorically as it is emotionally. The verse is cold and almost like in a daze, corresponding to the lack of remorse, then the intense and soulful chorus pulls back a layer to reveal the inner turmoil and the apparent incentive of the character’s actions and only at the end do we learn in a clamour of instruments and dissonance what the his deep pain truly was.

Silent Gold is probably the only tame song of this album, a sweet pop-rock ballad that is a bit too whiny for my taste, but doesn’t sound half bad compared to other similar songs. Even if it’s not something one would expect from Pain of salvation, I guess my heart has to rest a bit.

Full throttle tribe is a general noise and instrumental chaos. It’s tied together by a melodic vocal line and steadied by a beautiful bridge, but for the most part it’s purposefully distressing and while I understand the intention and how it fits in, sometimes it becomes too much.

This being said, I don’t believe I remember the last time I heard POS as heavy and upset as in Reasons. Whether it’s the verse’s bleak resignation that the relation is broken, or the chorus’ anger and hatred, it’s bound to have an impact and carry you through many states. And Daniel is an exceptional singer, the only other person I can think of that has (had) the ability to deliver emotions so personally and powerfully and reveal himself so honestly through music was Freddie Mercury.

Angels Of Broken Things cements my opinion that this is the best album I’ve heard this year and it’s a serious contender for Remedy Lane as the best POS album. It’s a more settled track, full of emotion, but without being melodramatic. The contained angst that effuses throughout the song makes me wish for an explosion, and when the teasing finally ends with a beautiful and touching guitar, I feel like my expectations have been more than satisfied.

All (or most) tracks are memorable in their own way and I frequently find myself humming Reasons, but The Taming Of A Beast has become my new obsession. You know, that track you keep playing ten times in a row, with the tune that never leaves your mind, no matter what you do or are thinking of? Every music enthusiast has been there at least a few times... So, The taming of the beast. An infectious track, with a background guitar that becomes the red line of the song, on top of which is built and built and built until it becomes a gut wrenching outburst of everything I love POS for. I can’t describe how compelling this song is to me and I can’t wait to hear it played live, I’m sure it will be a treat.  

If This Is The End follows the recipe of not following a recipe and with its “just me and my guitar” opening it tricks me into thinking I’m going to listen to sweet pleasant ballad. Little do I know that a few moments later I’m going to have Daniel yelling STAY in my ear, only to return to the gentleness in the beginning and then yell some more, supported by the noisy instrumental in the background. When described, it sounds like they’re trying too hard to surprise and shock, but when you truly listen to the song, it doesn’t seem forced or artificial at all. It’s simply a musical reflection of the constant battle between preparing yourself for what is to come and the all-too human instinct of not letting go of life and never being truly prepared for death.

The Passing Light Of Day is a multilayered track that I wasn’t too impressed with at first. I found it underwhelming and way too long for how little is going on, especially after the same changes of rhythm and mood had already been condensed into much shorter songs on this record. However, learning about Daniel’s illness and realising where these lyrics come from completely changed my perspective of this melody and made me see just how much sorrow and vulnerability are hidden in there. It broke my heart to hear it put into lyrics and by the time I got to the “I just wish that I could smile and say: 'Baby, hey. I'm in too much pain to feel afraid'”, I had a huge lump in my throat.

And this is where the strength of this album lies. It speaks of sufferance, frustration, regret, desperation, hope and that wonderful and sometimes painful mix of emotions that we call life, and does so in a beautiful and captivating way. Daniel is known as a composer who truly puts himself out there (just listen to A trace of blood and tell me your heart doesn’t break for him), but after years of dealing with more neutral topics, he returns to the intimacy and openness of Remedy Lane and I could not be happier to witness it. Musically it’s sometimes a bit hard to digest, with the constant syncopes and jumps from soft to angry or the way they use certain themes like a Chinese drop, but it’s creative, fresh and surprising and it knows no boundaries related to commercialism, what the fans expect or other silly notions like that. I may be fooled by Daniel’s skill with words, but it seems to me like he truly lives and breathes POS. Everything I hear from him appears to be heartfelt and genuine, stemmed from conviction and without the slightest drop of pretence. It’s not always pretty (in fact, it rarely is), but it’s real and it touches and fascinates me like few other works can.