Scarsick

Pain Of Salvation, ?????????????? | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 30, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Inside Out U.S.
• ASIN: B000KQGP2G
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,856 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

With their current album Scarsick, the members around mastermind Daniel Gildenlöw are back with a vengeance. Pain Of Salvation have impressively created an opus that couldn't have been more multi-faceted and diverse. Progressive metal with touches of slightly dark sounds that are wrapped in remarkable structures and surprising turns. Despite, or even because of its love of detail, this piece of work sounds whole in all its entirety. A creative masterpiece, which only very few in the genre of prog metal are capable of.

Pain Of Salvation have become a familiar and constant name in the field of progressive metal. They have regularly been releasing first-class music for 10 years, all of which enjoys excellent criticism. Their live skills prove to be convincing alone or when performing as supporting act for Dream Theater. Daniel Gildenlöw, no doubt, is one of the most creative Swedish artists who gains additional attention as tour musician with the progressive rock bands Transatlantic and The Flower Kings.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "In two seconds, I will hit the ground...", February 3, 2007

By 

The Wickerman (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scarsick (Audio CD)

So, I finally got ahold of my copy of this album, and I've been listening to it nonstop. Take my praise for what it's worth (which is perhaps nothing, considering I love this band so much), but this was definitely worth the wait. To be honest, I'm still kind of getting over the shock that "Scarsick" turned out to be "The Perfect Element 2" in disguise. I was really just expecting this to be a decent album to tide us over until the ultimate masterpiece was released on some magical day in the far distant future. So, when suddenly it's just here before I knew it, I was just completely thrown.

So, what do we have here? While I was pretty much expecting TPE2 to just level everything in music as we know it, I have to say that this isn't nearly THAT good, but then that just goes to show that expectations can be a bad thing. I don't think this album is ever going to quite rank up there with TPE1 or "Remedy Lane" (for all I know, that may be impossible), but it doesn't matter, because this album is still freaking great.

Lyrically, and musically, this album is ANGRY. It's dark, it's aggressive, it's caustic, it's vitriolic. Lyrics unabashedly rage against greed, materialism, conformity, hypocrisy, and of course, President Bush. You can tell that in writing this, Daniel Gildenlow was really blowing off some steam. I should clarify that "angriest album" doesn't necessarily mean "heaviest album", as it's more in just the overall feel and nature of the music. You have songs like "Spitfall" and the title track, which are powerfully heavy, and superbly utilize Daniel's rap vocals, which are only getting better ("Spitfall"...I mean WOW), and then there's "Mrs. Modern Mother Mary", with an offbeat grungy riff, and "Flame to the Moth", which features some almost hardcore/metalcore-type vocals (but only a little).

BUT, then you have stuff like "Disco Queen"! I believe PoS have, with this song, created a brand new genre: PROGRESSIVE DISCO!!! Ok, maybe Mr. Bungle got there first, but this song is just insane. An 8-minute prog epic, filled with pulsating disco rhythms, melded perfectly with the myriad time changes, and Daniel's ever-dynamic vocals. And amazingly, the lyrics don't deviate from the angriness of the concept, and yet still fit with the music. Yep, genius.

Elsewhere, there's plenty more greatness. "America" is surprisingly bouncy and catchy, despite its super-scathing lyrics (how funny would it be to see this song become a hit single???), "Cribcaged" is dark and melodic, and despite its repeated use of the f-word (that's another thing, this album narrowly escaped an "explicit lyrics" label), retains great beauty. "Kingdom of Loss" is a smooth broadway-esque ballad, and while it doesn't come near the heights of its predecessor, "King of Loss", it's stunning in its own right. "Idiocracy" was a bit slow to grow on me, but it's got some wicked cool time changes, and nice use of mandolin (excellent outro as well). The album ends with the HUGE "Enter Rain", which is minimally grandiose, and much like the closing track on TPE1, ends the album on a powerful note.

This is something I'll definitely be listening to for quite some time. Just a warning, this probably will alienate a lot of the more "prog-oriented" fans of the band, who may perhaps think disco, cursing, and rapping are evil and boorish, and send them running for the latest Shadow Gallery release. Not to mention this album contains only ONE guitar solo! *gasp, shudder, faint, monacle dropping into wine glass* But, if you love stuff like Tool, Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Devin Townsend, Faith No More, etc, I think you'll have no complaints. As with any PoS album, come expecting something different, and something great. Again, take my praise for what it's worth, I know I'm sufficiently obsessed, but I promise you this is definitely worth hearing. I know I won't be getting sick of "Scarsick" any time soon.

(Oh, and the "Thanks to George W. Bush for all the inspiration" line in the liner notes is just freakin' gold.)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introverted review by POS fanboy, May 10, 2007

By 

Reverend_Maynard (Glasgow, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scarsick (Audio CD)

_Scarsick_, in it's entirety, will forever remind me of rainy early mornings, during one of the most ambiguous periods of my life. Does this fact alone mean it merits five stars? No. But I cannot help feeling that there is a ceratin deep sadness, some sort of intangible melancholy present here, that reviewers thus far haven't really touched on or grasped, and that ensures this album (and, indeed, _BE_ before it) deserve far more appreciation. Now, don't get me wrong. Musically, I do feel that this is pretty much the weakest POS album. It doesn't have the emotional depth, staggering complexity or consistency or _Remedy lane_. It doesn't tackle weighty themes in an interesting, unconventional and challenging way like TPE. It doesn't have the grandstading ecelecticism of _Entropia_. Some of the songwriting leaves a bit to be desired. 'America', while being great fun and catchy, is, let's be honest, just silly. I actually really like 'Diso Queen' but it isn't much of a stretch for me to understand why others certanly wouldn't. 'Mrs Modern Mother Mary' is somewhat repetetive. And so on.
Despite this, I have my doubts. None of their albums are entirely perfect (though RL comes close). 'Spitfall' is visceral, exciting, has a great chorus, and actually works spectacularly well as an ironic pastiche. 'Kingdom of Loss' is eerie, melancholy, and very affecting. 'Idiocracy' is a real highlight. 'Enter Rain' retains many elements of their classic sound, has an utterly gorgeous middle section, and Gildenlow's vocals just shine all over it. And so on.
Yet each time I hear the astounding ending to the title track, I am reminded of what I can't grasp anymore, and the combination of the music and the memory creates something no-one else can have. Perhaps my love for this album is filtered through nostalgia and distorted by comparison then. In places though, I find _Scarsick_ profound, enaging and utterly, utterly beautiful. Is that enough reaon to give it five stars? Well, yeah. Plus, my Mum really likes it (?).

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scarsick: The Perfect Element Pt.2: "He", February 4, 2007

By 

Murat Batmaz (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scarsick (Audio CD)

In the CD packaging where most people will likely not look lies the answer to their question. Is Scarsick the conceptual follow-up to the band's The Perfect Element I released in 2000? The answer is yes. The faint title in the inlay, right inside the CD tray reads: The Perfect Element, Part II - "He". Divided into two main parts, simply called Side A and B, Scarsick presents both the newly found musical style of Pain of Salvation, and picks up exactly where the previous album left off.

For those who may have been put off by the two controversial songs "America" and "Disco Queen", it has to be pointed out that these tracks work a lot better in the context of the album. There is a reason why "America", a song which in no way is targeting the American people but rather their government's foreign policy, and "Disco Queen", whose curious style has previously been experimented by the likes of Mr Bungle, follow the deeply moving "Cribcaged", featuring in many ways Daniel Gildenlow's most touching vocal performance on this disc. Right from the beginning where you can hear a baby (Daniel's son?) laughing and some beautiful blues-tinged guitar tones ringing atop the guiding piano melody, Daniel sings in a tone that will make you melt. It's one of those Pain of Salvation songs that grows on and on until its terrific main chorus kicks, albeit slightly differently this time around given its repeated F-word lines, and Daniel just pours pure, sheer emotion into the piece, climaxing at around the 4:01 mark and cementing the opinion that he is still the best singer in this style, period. (Speaking of the F-word, if people are really that offended by it, maybe they should listen to Bon Jovi's "It's My Life". Now that's a great song, no?)

As with Be, there will no doubt be fans who will not like this album, but I seriously cannot think anyone won't shudder when they hear the sad vocals of "Cribcaged" or the superb vocal melody achieved at around 5:57 on "Spitfall", another cut that will divide the band's fanbase because of its rap-like vocals. Mind you, the vocals are very intentional as the purpose of this song is to criticise the rap/hiphop culture in the States along with parts of modern society at large. That said, the way Daniel delivers the lines "There's nothing like a broken childhood / There's nothing like a broken home" is so painful and honest any long-time fan is bound to feel the message.

"Disco Queen", which I now consider one of the best songs on the album, also holds an important place in the album in that it actually emphasizes the conceptual lyrical imagery presented in the first part. Unlike "In the Flesh", however, which was a song about physical abuse, "Disco Queen" is about sexual abuse with clever lyrical imageries portraying the prostitution of the soul. The ever-present dichotomies, shifting from light verses to the comical, hysterial disco beats in a split second are simply hilarious.

Side B seems less experimental, but it's actually equally bizarre. The looped, static key patch buried underneath the guitar riffs of "Mrs Modern Mother Mary" evoke Kevin Moore during his Chroma Key and film soundtrack phase, with futuristic soundscapes and acrobatic, unique vocals. "Kingdom of Loss" is the touching sequel to "King of Loss", and it seems they even assigned part of the lead work to the amazing solo heard at the end. Unfortunately, it is not credited in the booklet, but I feel this one is played by Daniel and the impact, given it enters the song after nice, soothing flute sounds, is phenomenal.

"Idiocracy" was one of those songs that just escaped me upon the first couple of times, but now after having spent over two weeks with Scarsick, it's become one of my favourites. The intro here is unbelievably huge and epic sounding, thanks to Fredrik Hermansson's keyboards, and Daniel's vocals are impossibly emotional. Littered with both electric and acoustic guitar sections, it is the finale of this song that is so uniquely haunting.

Drummer Johan Langell is arguably the most standout member behind Daniel Gildenlow on this album. His tone and widely eclectic playing style could be his best in his career yet. The Tool-like tribal drumming on the aggressive title track, resolving with weird harmonies, and the bone-crushing slam of "Flame to the Moth", the album's heaviest and meanest piece, are spectacular. The drum run is eerily evocative of Entropia, but when juxtaposed with the weird, metrical guitar riffery, the syncopation becomes simply monstrous, much like the material we hear on Lamb of God and Meshuggah songs. Add to this the maniacal screaming from Daniel and you have a winner. We never heard Daniel scream like this before.

Much like the previous albums, Scarsick ends with another epic: "Enter Rain", a song that is both challenging in its ten-plus-minute running time and compositional style. Lyrically, it hints at the main character's suicide where he stays on top of a building and says, "In two seconds I will hit the ground". But also worth reading into is the shared lyrical theme from Remedy Lane's "A Trace of Blood", which appears during the second part of the song, simply titled "Standing" (the others being "Running" and "Falling" - note the reference to TPE1). This is the part where his scars, wounds, pain and filth are washed away. It all ends on a dreary, cold note with deafening police and ambulance sirens.

There are numerous references made to the previous albums on Scarsick, both musically and lyrically. This certainly helps unify the messages Daniel Gildenlow tries to convey. While the first part of the album depicted the relation between the individual and society, and how it is actually the society itself that forms and shapes the individuals it is so quick to condemn as 'sick', we had insight into the minds and souls, or psychologies if you will, of those individuals on part one. Scarsick now takes the matter and explores it on a more sociological level, still referencing the characters' past, but mostly focusing on the evolution of He. As the booklet implies, the story is to be continued, and perhaps it will be the story of She that will be the more symphonically arranged and painstakingly composed album, as Daniel has revealed before.

Of course, many will write off Scarsick, claiming it fails to touch the brilliance of the band's prior efforts like The Perfect Element I and Remedy Lane, whilst it will also bring in new fans to the band. It is unfortunate that some will write it off as boring without really giving it its deserved time and spins, but that's the fate of many other prog albums.

Scarsick is best enjoyed if taken as a new album that stands on its own merits. Sure it goes all the way back touching upon everything Daniel has released, but in the end, it's still its own work. Keep that in mind.