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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One Hour By Lake Karachay, October 18, 2003
Pain of Salvation is so much more than just a band name of three words. First of all, the Swedish prog metal band is o r i g i n a l. They are, in my opinion, the first prog metal band since the early-90's that truly managed to impress not only prog listeners but fans of other genres as well. In the 80's we had Queensryche and Fates Warning dominating, in the 90's we had Dream Theater plus a few others paving the way for hundreds of other bands. And today we have Pain of Salvation. If they continue releasing diverse, emotional, chaotic and cerebral albums in this vein, they are going to put their mark on this decade as far as prog metal is concerned. One Hour By The Concrete Lake is their second album, however it was the first to come out in Europe. Their debut Entropia was released in Japan but didn't really get too much critical acclaim in Europe or Stateside--until their second CD One Hour came out. You may be wondering what the title of album stands for. The ideas behind it are some of the most interesting things about this release, especially regarding the radioactivity in Lake Karachay in the former USSR. Most of us might have heard of Chernobyl, for example, because it was very apparent. But learning that a lake covered in concrete had such a high level of radioactivity that it could still kill someone after only an hour standing near it is very appalling to say the least. Daniel Gildenlow, guitarist/vocalist/(main) songwriter of POS, has always been very interested in politics, social injustice, and every other kind of wrong-doing going on in the world. He wrote the concept of One Hour during some International Relations and Nuclear Physics studies he did at school, and at the same time he was also writing a paper on music lyrics' influence on listeners on a social level. Thus, writing and releasing One Hour was also the first album that gave him the courage to believe he could actually spread good messages with music. This is the album where POS realised the potential possibility of changing things through their records. And, isn't that one of the core parts of heavy metal after all? Another reason why they get my utmost respect. The album opens with the short intro "Spirit of the Land" setting the mood and moves on to "Inside" with an excellent keyboard mix that immediately catches your interest and prevents you from concentrating on something else. It is a very well crafted intro accompanied by the rhythm guitars, bass, drums and finally Gildenlow's beyond godly vocal delivery. The first couple of sentences give subtle messages and we gradually begin to realise that One Hour is a very angry album, especially in certain parts: "I was told the pain and hunger was not my fault..." Lyrically the album deals with issues like war, war industry, environment, pollution, Indains. The subtopics derive from the search of a man for the right way of living. POS has released four albums so far, all of which are conceptual. While One Hour is also a concept album, it contains several independent subtopics, and instead of directly telling a story, it combines the above mentioned lyrical themes in a very unusual and successful way. Gildenlow believes that it is still possible to have individual lyrics within a concept and focus on various issues lyrically. I read in an interview that they decided to record this album after Gildenlow wrote a 600 page essay. Compared to the band's debut Entropia, One Hour is more focused and more mature. Entropia was very fresh in a way and very raw in a way. It had more groove and soul, while One Hour is a bit more stiff. But their debut had borrowed lots of elements from various genres and therefore it didn't sound as focused as OHBTCL. It was perhaps branching out too far trying to cover new ground every second. The fifth track "Handful of Nothing" showcases one of the greatest screams to have been recorded, not only by Daniel but by any singer ever. The advanced rhythm section sounds incredible, though to Daniel it is much harder to tap into the right emotions at the right time. This is another main aspect that makes POS different than most other prog bands. They aren't about technical wizardy trying to impress their fans with any sort of prowess. While it is obvious they are extremely talented musicians, they seem to focus more on the emotional side of prog metal, which nowadays is not a very common thing, especially considering all the Dream Theater clones out there. Gildenlow's vocals are almost impossible to explain. He is one of the most versatile, multi-dimensional singers I have ever heard (some others would be Keith Sudano from Eternity X and Dan Swano from Nightingale & Edge of Sanity). He uses his voice in very different ways through the entire album, and on every other POS release as well. He has stated many a time in various interviews that the prog metal genre is having a fixed position in a way with the high pitched vocals constantly being up there and doing the same stuff all the time. It's like having a guitarist that only plays one single way of playing, just one range of the guitar, he says. So we always hear him experimenting with his vocal delivery, shifting from the smoothest singing to the harshest, almost growly assertive vocals. It is, simply, incredible. OHBTCL is possibly the band's most interactive record, since all the band members had a certain amount of input in it. It is also their closest to a traditional metal album, but still has the trademark POS flavour all over it. It may require some patience and thought till it grows on you, so don't give up on it if it doesn't click with you right away. It will definitely be worth the wait.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shows potential, but the best was yet to come, May 10, 2005
Pain Of Salvation are band that for most part, people either love or hate. I often feel like I'm one of the few who sits in middle, admiring them for being a very good progressive metal band without worshipping the sun that shines out of Daniel Gildenlow's backside. One Hour By The Concrete Lake was the first Pain Of Salvation album I bought (a few years ago now) but its certainly not my favourite. In fact, I don't really think of it as anything more than decent.
As far as originality goes, the band seemed to have it from day one. Even on their debut (Entropia) they were doing things differently which is more than can be said for the majority of progressive metal bands who were content to just rip of Dream Theater (and not very successfully, I might add). However, despite being different, One Hour By The Concrete Lake has never really impressed me, with the exception of Big Machine, a song with a finale that never ceases to send shivers down my spine.
I suppose my main complaint about the album is the production - its so flimsy that moments that sound like they should be powerful and in face just kinda sit there doing nothing. If it weren't for the metal overtones, this could be forgiven - there's more to music than crunchy guitars. But when you have a band who are clearly trying to put forward a sense of heaviness from time to time in the name of dynamics, it can be a little frustrating.
The songwriting also feels a little disjointed at times. On Perfect Element and Remedy Lane, they had mastered the art of mixing odd rhythms and strange melodies tastefully, but on this album I find the sudden changes a little too overbearing. Too often it sounds like the band are trying too hard to be different.
Pain Of Salvation were/are clearly a unique band that any fan of progressive music needs to hear but contrary to the opinion of many fans, I find One Hour By The Concrete Lake a good album but not great. It showed the band's potential (which was fulfilled on their next two albums) but to my ears, they weren't quite there yet. Still a good album well worth picking up if you're already a fan of the band though, so four stars it is.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Progressive Metal - Highly Recommended., April 2, 2003
Pain of Salvation's 2nd album, "One Hour By The Concrete Lake", was IMO, a huge improvement over their first album, "Entropia". "Entropia" had some very complex, original, emotional, and overall awesome songs, but sometimes it just got a little akward. "One Hour By The Concrete Lake" is a much more refined and overall better sound.This is a concept album, (like all PoS albums), this time about a man realizing how his job affects other people. Basically, he works for a weapons industry, and he realizes that he is part of a "big machine" of events, and his job directly of indirectly leads to such things as world hunger and war in third world countries. As always, Daniel Gildenlow's lyrics are great. He's done a lot of research to come up with these lyrics. Interestingly, he cites his sources in the back of the booklet, which is a cool thing to do. The music on OHBTCL is so...PoS! I can't exactly compare it to other bands. The music can go from aggressive metal to acoustic guitars and piano ballads in a second. Technically, it's very complex stuff. The guitar riffs are often oddly timed, and the solos are friggin' awesome. The drums are also complex, sometimes using polyrhythms. The keyboards add that nice atmosphere, and are more present here than on other PoS albums. This is the least eclectic and "weird" of PoS' albums, so I would recommend this one as a starting point. "Inside", the first song on the album, starts off with complex rhythm guitar work and emotional vocals. This sets the basis of the story, and is one of the more eclectic songs, going through some cool changes. "The Big Machine" is a dark, brooding metal tune, with some of Daniel Gildenlow's lower vocals. "Handful of Nothing" starts off with a blinding guitar riff in 21/8. This is really a sick song on drums. Imagine playing in 4/4 with your hands, and following a guitar riff in 21/8 with the bass drums! Despite the complexity, it manages to be a pretty normal sounding song (unless you're trying to figure it out on guitar - a tough task). "Water" is a perfect mix of heavy riffs and balladry. Daniel Gildenlow's soloing during the quieter parts is beauty. "Pilgrim" is a great ballad. "Inside Out" is the album's finale. It goes from heavy, exhilarating metal to beautiful pianos and acoustic guitar solos. (Is that Jordan Rudess on keys on the beginning? Frederick Hermasson is pretty damn good when he takes the lead!) The electric guitar solo is emotional and powerful. This song recalls many themes from the album, and brings it to a powerful finale. I have only gotten into Pain of Salvation in the past few months, but they are one of my favorite bands. I highly recommend all their albums, but this is a great starting point for the potential fan. Also recommended: Other PoS albums.
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