THE PERFECT ELEMENT - PART 1

My first Pain of Salvation album. It cost me serious rupiahs (the Indonesian currency) at the time I bought it. But it was worth the price, because it hit me straight "there" when I first listened to it -- kind of a goosebump moment. I was like, "This really is a mind- blowing music." Even now I still consider this as a unique progressive metal effort that deserves high praise not only because it delivers great music, but its dark imagery lyrics also made it so different from what has already been out there.

Usually, I don't enjoy rapping in a song, let alone one that is used as a part of an opening like in the first track of this album, "Used". But here I find it rather cool, if not even serve to set the tone. Daniel Gildenlow, as appears later throughout the album, indeed has a knack for delivering vocals according to the intonations, atmospheres, and moods to be achieved in each as well as parts of the songs.

Beside the melodies (great thing is that every now and then one can feel 1970s-style touch), what is also memorable in this album is the band proficient in melding strong compositions with relatively moderate instrumentation execution -- no neckbreaking speed guitar solo whatsoever. This is not saying that there are no virtuosities. Rather, it's a praise to what the band tend to do that we can call a pertinence, which is remarkably effective.

This is a no-nonsense effort. Those who like metal not only have to be aware of its existent. They also have to add a copy to their collection.