SCARSICK

Sometimes I'm almost disgusted when I see how high of a rating an album like this has. But then I put that irrational anger aside and instead focus on the rational anger. Normally I either immensely enjoy Pain of Salvation's music or can get enough out of certain songs on each of their albums to make them a worthwhile band to listen to. But for me this album, like the controversial "Be", this album falls flat on its face either most of the time or completely fails to get back up. Despite the fact that it often annoys me when others either poke fun at my country or the American people, I would be able to overlook that if it's done from a worthwhile artistic standpoint. The only word missing from my previous phrase in regards to Scarsick is the word "worthwhile". "Disco Queen" has some lyrics that make me laugh sometimes, but even that isn't enough to save it from the fact that the song actually incorporates disco, a genre of music that I simply can't stand. The way Daniel addresses the issues he confronts on here are very juvenile. I've felt that as Pain of Salvation progressed he became more introverted or, dare I say it, pretentious (not in a good way though). But on Scarsick it's simply laughable. I know progressive rock is about blending other genres of music, but here there are genres such as rap and nu-metal among others which bore or annoy me.

Unless you're a huge Pain of Salvation fan, and I am not, you'll want to consider passing on this one. Their earlier material is much better than the shiny rubbish presented here. 1 star might be generous for this release.