REMEDY LANE

Lately I've been wondering if maybe my assessment of The Perfect Element Pt. 1 as the quintessential Pain of Salvation album and one of the best albums of this inglorious decade is somewhat hasty. Only somewhat. I truly love that album; it is concise, dark, cathartic, and very, very emotional. However, so is Remedy Lane. Maybe even more so. There is a wider palate of instrumentation here, more varied and adventurous than The Perfect Element Pt. 1, which causes the impact of this album not to have the sort of blunt force trauma appeal of its precursor. The subject matter is just as dark though, continuing on with the exploration of psychological wounds and scars we can all relate to in one way or another. As with The Perfect Element Pt. 1, I still do not understand the storyline or sequence of events in this album fully, though I do remember Daniel Gildenlow explaining that it the main character is returning to Budapest, one of many cities that correspond to dates that accompany the songs throughout the album, to rediscover what led him to the emotional state he is in. If I got that wrong, and I probably did, please tell me the whole story, as I'd sure like to know. I also remember reading that this album was somewhat inspired by a miscarriage by Gildenlow's wife. This adds reality to the album and makes the impact just that much more intense.

I don't really want to go into the songs all that much, as I'm never good at it. But know that Remedy Lane is distinguishable in Pain of Salvation's discography as a simultaneously dark, vivid, and adventurous collection of songs. BE would stray from the darkness but keep the adventurousness; One Hour By The Concrete Lake and The Perfect Element have the darkness, but with lessened adventurousness. Both of these albums feel more concise than Remedy Lane, however, because of their somewhat monochromatic musical nature. Remedy Lane covers a lot of musical ground, from softer, melancholic ballads (This Heart of Mine (I Pledge), Dryad of the Woods (one of my personal favorites, by the way), Second Love) to the heaviness we can expect from earlier albums (Waking Every God, A Trace of Blood). Of certain importance is the excellent closer, Beyond the Pale, Pain of Salvation's second best album closer (The Perfect Element is first). It has one of the greatest builds in the band's repertoire, and the feeling of utter self-loathing and resentment in the lyrics pours out. It is magnificent. So, of course you should buy Remedy Lane Pain of Salvation may well be my favorite progressive metal band, and this album captures them at the peak of their career. One can only hope that with their next album, they recapture the glory they continued to display with this album.