ENDING THEMES - ON THE TWO DEATHS OF PAIN OF SALVATION

After a wait of what seemed like forever (over 3 years after the actual performance!), the great Pain Of Salvation has finally released their second DVD. Finally, a chance to see the band in all of their glory performing some of their best work besides the BE album (not one of my favorites, but still very good). Unlike many of the concert dvds i purchase this one actually provides good camera angles and very high quality editing, the cameramen actually know which band members to show on which parts of the song, which dosnt usually happen. The set list is about as good as could be hoped for except for the fact that too many songs off of the less-than-stellar Scarsick are featured, which could be expected since it was brand new material at the time. Also, for reasons unknown, Daniels guitar is way to low in the mix, leaving you straining to hear his parts. This also happens with the keyboards from time to time, but is less noticeable. In addition the the concert, there is a very entertaining documentary following the life of the band on tour right before their recent string of member changes. Also, there are TONS of bonus features the are very cool and enjoyable. All in all this is a very good release from one of, if not the, top act in the prog metal world. Definitely worth the $30+ price of admission. I'll be pulling this one off the shelves for years to come.

This is not the end.

To say that Pain Of Salvation kicks a whole lot of ass would be an incredible understatement, and they've decided to showcase this fact on their second DVD, capturing the tour of their somewhat controversial release, Scarsick. Of course they've also managed to do it in an incredibly stylish and entertaining way, and fans will be happy to know that this set is not just a mere performance from the band. With a killer performance and enough extras to keep you busy for hours on end, this is definitely a must have for fans.

In it's normal edition, Ending Themes is a superb two disc set, showcasing not only the previously mentioned concert, but also behind the scenes documentary footage from the Be tour. The documentary is a great thing to watch if you're a big fan of the band, but it's also interesting if you just want to see some rock stars doing what they do. From the rehearsal room to the road, to Daniel fighting a cold to the boys ordering kinder surprises and having competitions with toy cars, the tour manager talking about sales, trying to find more t-shirts for the next gig, talking to journalists and fans - it's all there. Even if you'd never heard a Pain Of Salvation song going into the first disc of this set you would find yourself pleased with just how entertaining it is.

Of course, the main attraction, the concert DVD lies in wait on the second disc. Some who found the material on Scarsick to be a tad lackluster may even find themselves surprised when they hear the songs in a live format. Pain of Salvation was never a band to be scoffed at live, and they prove this once again by putting on a killer performance. Daniel also does a good job of keeping the show from getting monotonous by talking to the crowd throughout, and manages to put on some good performances, even if it is Johan Hallgren who will often steal the spotlight thanks to his crazy antics. Standout tracks among the fray include the nearly offensive America on which the Amsterdam crowd doesn't seem to mind what others have often put down the band for on this track (the lyrics), the delightfully heavy ! (Foreword) and some of the more moody songs that the band decides to whip out such as the eerie Undertow and the emotional Hallelujah which opens the encore set. Humorless and very serious proggers will also be surprised to find out that one of the most controversial songs ever recorded by a progressive metal band is bravely on the set list and is probably the best received from the crowd. The energy taken from the audience singing along to every scream coupled with the band's already furious mentality makes Disco Queen likely the most worthwhile addition to this set. Even if you're dead serious and can't have a few disc beats invading your music you'll find that this song whittles its way into your head and stays there - provided you've not a certain degree of ignorance in your musical taste. On the whole the set list is very complete, and while some may complain about this song or that song missing, on the whole it works as one powerful and complete set.

Overall this is recommended for everyone from beginners to the absolute hardcore Pain Of Salvation fan. For beginners it serves as a delightful entrance point to the band, showing the personalities behind the madness and giving a good taste of what the band is capable of from behind their instruments. Hardcore fans will, of course, love the performance and the chance to see the band in a more casual light, thanks to the first disc. Combine that all in some very amusing packaging, parodying modern TV box sets and dramas, and you've got yourself one hell of a live album. Pain of Salvation has always been on the cutting edge of progressive metal, whether they're doing it the way people want them to or not, and this is no exception. 4 stars out of 5! If you fancy yourself a fan of progressive metal then you must have this DVD.

The flip side of "Be"

In my review of the "Be" dvd, I had lamented the rigid structure of the show to an extent. Yes it was a great show and the structure was necessary (as it was in something like "The Wall") but I was often wanting to see the band let their hair down, tear it up, be a little unpredictable. As thrilling as it was to see a concept album performed cover to cover I was hoping someday I'd get to see a wide ranging PoS retrospective show. Enter "Ending Themes" and the operative phrase becomes "mission accomplished."

While this band is not exactly Gojira in terms of blunt force trauma, Daniel begins the show by claiming they are about to "f**k you guys up" or something very close to that. It became apparent early on that Daniel is not exactly a master of conversing with the audience, his banter full of niceties, clichés, and boring intros with little elaboration on actual themes. But that's a minor quibble. More noticeable, since I'm starting with the critical items, is what in my opinion is a pretty poor stage direction, lighting, and editing job. I watch a lot of concert dvds and notice these peripheral things because they can add or detract much from the overall experience of the show-they do matter, even if less so that the music. Some examples: They begin the video with the band simply standing on stage as if starting a practice, rustling about, killing the usual excitement of a little entrance build-up. No big deal, just an odd choice. I love a show that swims in darkness, with little visible beyond the musician playing. Here it seems as though the house lights are basically on, you see all the background, the crowd, the concourse, the techies running around-all of which cuts some of the ambiance. You hear the crowd chattering away behind quieter song moments..which I found pretty amateur. You see clumsy pans, occasionally heads cut off by the frame, and some awkward edits that just shouldn't have happened. All of the above is not as horrible as it seems, I just point this out because it seems that a band of this stature should not make rookie mistakes. Much more important of course is the performance and music.

And on that which really matters, the band reinforces why many consider them one of the very top prog-metal bands in the world. They begin with some Scarsick material which sounds really good, making me wonder why the album got the harsh reviews it did. After that they begin a sampling of material from their various albums over the years, offering a great chance for newbies to get acquainted with their work. The performance on material both new and old was good. Most notable were Daniel's vocals which are something to behold when he really pushes himself. On tracks as different as "Hallelujah" and "Disco Queen" he was able to grab the audience and elevate the proceedings with powerful vocals. The instrumentals were controlled and mostly interesting, I especially loved the intricate drum work and the soft-pastel that the piano brings to this band, something generally not present in many metal bands. I would have preferred more emphasis on "Remedy Lane" as I find that album intriguing but understandably there were trying to cover all phases of their career with this show. With the myriad of extras this DVD set is a must for PoS fans. For the casual fan like myself it is a good chance to see them live but doesn't exactly blow me away either. It does make me want to pick up Scarsick and hear more of what the fuss was all about. Sound quality is adequate but again a bit less than I'd expect from such a premier prog-metal band. "Be" is a hard dvd act to follow but this show is certainly good and worth checking out.

A great concert, and a documentary DVD packaged like a TV series: 'a groundbreaking parallel story, mixing Days of Our Lives, Lord of the Rings and Some Kind of Monster.'

Clever packaging conceals what this really is, one DVD centres on the touring behind the scenes in painstaking detail, and we learn many useless but amusing things such as their fetish for toy racing cars and Monty Python DVD box sets. The documentary is at times conveyed by the band in their native tongue so subtitles are essential and thankfully available. The doco may not endure repeated viewings but its nice to meet their cute little fan club members and see their delight as they meet the band. It is essential viewing if you want to get through the quiz that has to be completed correctly in order to unlock a swag of special features. You will eventually get the questions right as they do not change and you can write down the answers by a process of elimination. You have to put up with an obnoxious ugly face telling you what a loser you are until you do of course, but it's worth it. You get a special code when you get them all right saving you the hassle of redoing the annoying quiz. But if you put in the code wrong you are sent to 'hell', complete with burning flames and evil laughter, and you have to work your way back to the title menu to get out of it. Nasty touch I must say and quite disconcerting. The features are great particularly the demo versions of 'Scarsick' tracks, deleted scenes, and some nice footage of the band, bootlegs and photo sessions are included.

This is all incidental I guess, as the main drawcard is the actual concert which is well filmed at the famed Paradiso in Amsterdam, where other prog bands have been captured on DVD such as Riverside (on ADHD special edition). The performance does not rely on flashy lights or smoke, rather it is all about the music and this is some of POS best material from their highly celebrated albums such as 'One Hour by the Concrete Lake', 'Entropia' and 'Remedy Lane'.

The sound quality is excellent and the audience reactions are well interspersed among the band crunching out one belter after another. Hildegaard has longer hair now and looks more at home with the metal when he bangs his head. Certainly the set list is not flawless, for instance 'Fandango' and 'Beyond the Pale' are missing, and there is a great focus on 'Scarsick' album, however there is enough here to satiate the appetite of most fans.

The crowd pleasers are here such as 'America', 'Nightmist', '! (Foreword)' and the fabulous infectious 'Disco Queen' that the crowd adore and its easy to see why. I love all these but the darker side of the band is impossible to ignore and may not be for all tastes. The expletive heavy 'Cribcaged' is offensive enough and I must admit I hate it when bands think they need to drop the F bomb repeatedly to hammer home a point. So Robert De Niro's cigarette and Al Pacino posters annoy the band; OK, I get it, but why do they have to degrade themselves to this type of material. It's a pity really, as the band are better than this. Look at the way they deliver 'Chain Sling' and their dark version of 'Hallelujah' to see my point. The 'Hallelujah' version is better than the original Cohen IMHO, it is that good, and the crowd sing along loudly in adoration.

The quiet melodic POS is here too on suicidal unfriendly ballads such as 'Undertow' from 'Remedy Lane' and the bittersweet 'Brickworks 1'. It is all very dark and moody and intense. Each track is sung with passion and the time sig changes of the music are admirable. The booklet gives little away, although the oppressive lyrics are here, and the storyline attached is as bogus as the rest of the packaging conveying some story of yet another motor vehicle accident, another one! This is becoming standard prog fair for concept albums these days.

The fake reviews on the so called TV series are amusing, a TV series that is cited as 'a groundbreaking parallel story, mixing Days of Our Lives, Lord of the Rings and Some Kind of Monster.' Work that out! The track listing is identical to the double CD release but its way better to watch the band in full flight as these tracks are pounded out. This is a bit of a hit and miss affair for me; some of the tracks are not as good as other PoS material particularly there is too much emphasis on 'Scarsick', whereas i think 'Remedy Lane' buries it, in fact all their other albums have far more to offer in terms of prog metal, but the energy is tangible, the crowd love it and the music is infectious. 3 stars.

I like this live album far more than the acclaimed "12:5" because it closely characterizes the typical output by Pain of Salvation - progressive metal in its core with various elements of alternative metal or rock. The band is in a great form, loud, energetic, giving an excellent choice of tracks from all albums and even a cover version of "Hallelujah". Rhythm section is excellent, drumming progressive and vocals top notch. The tracks from "Scarsick" sound better than on the studio album and listeners should forgive the band to try forays into disco because it belongs to the show. A highly recommended live testament of the band in their initial era.