SCARSICK

Pain of Salvation has been such a consistent band and Scarsick continues that trend of high quality music. With this album POS once more pushes the boundaries of music, but still with a firm foot in the trademark POS sound that we've come to love. Unlike what some reviewers have said, this is not some major departure from the POS sound we in the progressive metal community have come to love.

The album starts with the title track 'Scarsick'is an awesome opener with crunching riffs. The song serves a s a statement of intent, this album will be angry and aggressive. The next song 'Spitfall' has quit a bit of rapping in it. Some have been shocked by this but this is nothing new, remember 'Used' from TPE. It worked on Used and it works on Spitfall. The third track 'Cribcaged' is a stunning song, one that could have easily come out of TPE or RL. 'America' is a fun song with tongue in cheek lyrics about the USA. 'Disco Queen' is an innovative song, showing POS pushing the boundaries of music. It has to be heard to be believed. And it's clearly a song full of humour, it's not meant to be serious. Again this unusual direction works and works brilliantly.

'Kingdom of Loss' reminds me of RL. It is a beautiful ballad and on of the stand out tracks on the album. 'Mrs. Modern Mother Mary' this is an interesting song, to me this is a weirder sounding song than 'Disco Queen'. At fist I didn't think too much of it but this one really grew on me after multiple listens. The chorus is awesome and there is nice heavy riff that goes throughout. 'Idiocracy' is simply brilliant, and is another song which could have easily come straight out of TPE or RL. It is a heavy song that builds up slowly and by the 5 minute mark explodes into life with melodic brilliance. I'd say this one is my favourite song on the album. 'Flame to the Moth' is the most aggressive and heavy song on the album. There's some great riffing and powerful screams from Daniel. It is POS at their most metal, I love it. It takes you back to the heaviness of Entropia. 'Enter Rain' is a haunting closer. Ito goes back and forth from eerie softness to sheer heaviness with a stunning chorus running over the top. It is an epic sounding song, the perfect song to close the album.

This is yet another brilliant album by Pain of Salvation. Like its predecessors the more you listen to this album the more it grows on you. It's not their best album but it isn't far off. It's a fantastic addition to the POS catalogue.