ROAD SALT ONE

For those that thought that the Linoleum EP wasn't representative of what Road Salt One would be, sorry to inform you that yes, that is the new Pain of Salvation (at least until Road Salt Two....) And is this a bad thing? I'll try to answer that.

Road Salt One is not a concept albuim, rather a thematic one. The main theme revolves around making choices and living with them. I really enjoy how some songs relate to each other in a way, but then again all the songs are very diferent.

Songs

All songs are relatively short and concise, much like most of Scarsick, They range from raw and positively agressive - No Way, Linoleum - to subtle and simple songs - Of Dust, Road Salt .

The highlights are Sisters and Where it Hurts. To all that say that this isn't a progessive release, you really should carefuly listen to these songs. No odd time signatures at all, no instrumental madness, but great musicianship, solid song structure and plenty of details for the wary listener.

Tell Me You Don't Know and Sleeping Under The Stars feel very out of place and I found myself constantly skipping them.

The closing song Innocence is not your typical epic end to a POS album, it's a great song but the emotional climax falls flat.

Sound

Everyone's main gripe about Road Salt is the boomy, 70ies, raw overall sound of the guitars and drums. I can see where Daniel is trying to go, but I have to say that it's not my cup of tea. In any case it blends well with the overall feel of the album.

Conclusion

It's always good to hear what's on Daniel's mind, so I do enjoy Road Salt One, but the lackluster ending, a couple of bad songs and a debatable production keeps this release from higher grounds. A solid 3oo5 stars.