THE PERFECT ELEMENT - PART 1

Curiously enough it took me a lot of time to get into Pain Of Salvation’s music. For the first time I heard of this perfect band in 2004 and the first album I listened to was exactly The Perfect Element – Pain Of Salvation’s best and most complicated album to date IMHO.

The album grew on me for some years of countless and tireless listens and finally I fell in love with The Perfect Element (and later with other PoS albums) in 2006. Pain Of Salvation is definitely a progressive rock band, for the band plays top-notch and their own progressive metal, not typical prog-metal, not Dream Theater-prog-metal. Pain Of Salvation is as important for prog-metal genre as Dream Theater is, as the band managed to create their own sound and play with passion, play inspired music and write thoughtful and intelligent lyrics.

Used (8.5/10) is a nice opener with some verses sang in hip-hop manner, but that will do – Daniel is certainly a gifted man and a great singer. In The Flesh (10/10) is the second song on the album and maybe my second favourite after Idioglossia (10/10), which is absolutely stunning. When I hear Daniel singing “Fly away, don’t be afraid, don’t hesitate...” it sends shivers down my spine! There are some nice solos here, and guitar work is great overall. Ashes (8.5/10) is PoS’s famous song and I like it. The chorus is powerful and moving. Morning On Earth (7/10) is in some way an intermission – just a nice ballad with great vocals and some acoustic guitars. Idioglossia, as I’ve already said, is one of the best songs by PoS. Very proggy. Her Voices (9/10) starts with a mellow keyboard intro, which gets heavier due to a heavy guitar riff. There are some nice sections in the middle of the song, which are very complex. I also like the next track - Dedication (8/10), which shows softer side of Pain Of Salvation. Very gentle and delicate music with great vocals. I have some problem with King Of Loss (7.5/10), which is liked by almost all PoS’s fans. I just can’t get into it, though I like the solo at the end of the track. Reconciliation (7/10) starts with pretty guitars and has some nice solos in the middle, but overall it’s not the best track on the album by far. Song For The Innocent (7.5/10) has a very moving guitarsolo. Although the song is heavy, it reminds me of Pink Floyd. Falling (7/10) is just an intro to the grand finale - The Perfect Element (9/10). I can’t describe my feelings when I listen to the intro and the main riff – these moments are perhaps one of the best PoS has ever composed. This song is not far from being a masterpiece, but I can’t give it 10, for it’s too long and the middle section is quite dragged out, frankly speaking. Though, a very powerful ending of the great album...

Inspiration. Power. Might. Spirit. 4+. Excellent album.

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