I Like Scarsick!

Ever since Scarsick came out, I haven't really listened to Pain of Salvation at all. I'm not sure why, I think it coincides with my increasing dislike for metal, a genre I used to love. I'll still listen to TPE or BE, but I don't find myself even thinking about listening to Entropia or Concrete Lake now. I would just rather listen to Genesis or some other band now.

I still think Pain of Salvation is the best metal band though.

Edited by Kestrel - December 22 2008 at 13:15

p0mt3 wrote: James wrote: I don't mind a band changing things around and sounding different... But Scarsick was a bad decision.  I think I now know why Kristoffer left the band... he didn't want to be on such a bad album. I dislike Disco music; so PoS making a track that is disco is not my thing at all.  Then you have that weird Musical sound of America.  It just reminds me of Bernstein and well, I don't like him either. Kingdom of Loss is better and one of the better tracks on the album but it's all just too late... I've listened to about 3 times... and I've never listened to any Pain of Salvation since.  The lyrics are terrible and Daniel's attitude is harsh.   When did PoS ever make a disco song?   "Disco Queen" is Nu-Metal in style and insperation.

A while back I made a thread where I discussed on how a love performance made me change my mind about Dream Theater, that it made me like them less, and I was raked over the coals. Now I am seeing a lot of people saying because of Scarsick, they don't like PoS at all anymore, not even the albums they enjoyed before Scarsick. To me, this goes along the same lines. And, I don't really get why this album would make you hate what you previously enjoyed. . . it seems like you are punishing yourself more than anything. When Metallica put out Saint Anger, I thought it sucked big time, but I didn't go and throw out Master of Puppets.

So, if there next album is a progressive rock masterpiece, will you go back to liking them?

I don't mind a band changing things around and sounding different...

But Scarsick was a bad decision.  I think I now know why Kristoffer left the band... he didn't want to be on such a bad album.

I dislike Disco music; so PoS making a track that is disco is not my thing at all.  Then you have that weird Musical sound of America.  It just reminds me of Bernstein and well, I don't like him either.

Kingdom of Loss is better and one of the better tracks on the album but it's all just too late...

I've listened to about 3 times... and I've never listened to any Pain of Salvation since.  The lyrics are terrible and Daniel's attitude is harsh.

To be honest, I also think Scarsick is not a bad album, yet I have experienced something similar to Avantgardehead: Before I heard the album, Pain of Salvation was my favorite band. After I heard it, I wished they never had released Scarsick. Now I have come back to their earlier albums, but their is a huge amount of dust on the Scarsick disc. For it seems not as well thought, too exaggerated in the lyrics, missing something emotionally moving, and less original in the music and overall just forgetable, I don't listen to it anymore. I might be able to let it play in the background, nothing more.

Ah, the album that led to me never listening to Pain of Salvation again. I can't stand that Gildenlöw guy and his pretentious sob-stories anymore...

~Rael~ wrote: I don't find the lyrics inane at all, quite imaginative, actually. Not every lyric needs to be a riddle wrapped in metaphors to be creative. And, I am glad they took a step back from Be, because it is my least favorite of theirs. I have given it several tries, and it just bores the hell out of me.

The problem is not that it is direct; rather, it is shallow as a kiddie pool. It doesn't feel like the raw emotion of, say, Lilium Cruentus, and it doesn't feel like a complex evaluation of modern life. It just feels shallow and whiny, like an angsty 16-year-old ranting about the man.

I could tell you all the things I feel about it, or you could read my review. Note that it was adapted from MER's site, so the format is a bit odd.

//EDIT: For direct lyrics that are good, try Royal Hunt's Paradox II -- Collision Course. Most of the tracks are explicitly about a specific event or practice, but they still manage to be thoughtful.


Edited by Gamemako - December 21 2008 at 14:35

I was shocked by the Disco Queen when listening for the first time - but it really grows - great album

So do I, kinda. The kinda "like" where I have the CD but never listen to it(ever).

The problem is that unlike every other PoS album, it completely fails to move me in any way. Something's just missing... it just sounds like a huge mistake that great musicians usually make once or twice in their careers.

Since free speech is a basic part of being American and it's just an opinion anyway, the lyrics don't bother me but the song America is complete garbage all around, as is Disco Queen. I never skip any songs on any of their other albums.

So yeah, it's decent music but as a PoS album and as a follow up to Be it sucks giant monkey balls.

I like it too Rael... It's kind of what P.O.S. is about, sure it may not be as good as some of their albums.. but it has it's own charm.  Think it reflects their personality and it's true to their form.  Plus it's Part II of the Perfect Element storyline.. probably make more sense when the third part of the story is released...