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Believe it or not, today I've listened for the very first time to a CD from Pain Of Salvation! This weekend I got the opportunity to buy many new progrock CD's for very low prices so I decided that it was time to discover this highly acclaimed band on Prog Archives.

My first impression was that they really sound progressive, to me it's an adventurous and often exciting mix of classic, symphonic, metal and folk. The eleven compositions delivering many shifting moods, ranging from mellow with sensitive classical piano or a twanging guitar to folky (with instruments like grandpa's mandola or the djembe) and bombastic progmetal featuring heavy metal riffs, double bass drums, biting electric guitar and orchestral keyboards. Very special are "Vocari dei" with messages from fans on the answering machine and "Omni" with a tv news voice, a sumptuous church organ sound and wailing vocals. I have to admit that Pain Of Salvation is not really my cup of tea but I'm impressed by their genuine progressive approach and great musical talents and compositorial skills.

ESSENTIAL!