Pain Of Salvation
BE

After the masterpieces "The Perfect Element Part. I" and "Remedy Lane," which remain the undisputed peaks of their career, the Pain Of Salvation, enlightened by another stroke of genius from the great Daniel Gildenlow, produce an album in 2004 that is absolutely new and unusual for their discography. "Be" is indeed an album that has no precedents in the band's discography, and the sound offered has little to do with their previous works.

The band decides to distance itself from progressive metal to try an album as peculiar and incomprehensible as it is fascinating! One of the strangest and most challenging albums the progressive scene has ever offered us!

So many genres put together like this have really never been heard before! On this album, the metal component is set aside, or rather, it is brought out in only a few pieces, and more room is given to the progressive aspect, which is expressed in a radically different way than before. There's a bit of everything in this album: folk, classical, gospel, blues, prog-rock, ethnic... but no one should dare to think it's a hodgepodge or aggregation; it could rather be compared to a soup with many different vegetables (I hate most vegetables, I loathe minestrone, but still, I allow myself this comparison) but all included to create a unique and unmistakable flavor.

If you love the more classic Pain Of Salvation, I know this record wouldn't be for you, but if you love experimentation and the temptation to go beyond what you are used to listening to from a band, this record will be an authentic gem for you!

For the first time, PoS use a 9-piece orchestra, precisely two violins, one viola, one cello, one flute, one oboe, one clarinet, one bass clarinet, and one tuba.

Of course, to address a particular and delicate subject like the relationship between God and man, a very particular sound was necessary, and they managed to create it. Even though I am openly atheist, I really appreciated this idea.

The intro "Animae Partus" is vocal, fraught with particular sound effects, then comes "Deus Nova": orchestral intro followed by powerful guitars accompanied by the orchestra while a voice recites how many people populated the earth at certain moments in history, then another vocal part. Then "Imago," a folk-ethnic track led by the orchestra (especially the wind section) and Daniel's mandola. The sound of rain leads us directly to "Pluvius Aestivus," which is instead a piece of classical music where the delicate notes and harmonious patterns of Fredrik Hermansson's piano are accompanied by the symphonic sounds of the orchestra; a somewhat repetitive track but to be appreciated for how the arrangements take over... The piano indeed starts solo, then is joined by violin pizzicatos and then by an increasingly incisive orchestra. In "Lilium Cruentus," however, the metal component comes back to the fore even though the presence of the orchestra is always very tangible; the result is a piece at times melancholic, at times powerful, with Daniel's vocal performance emphasizing it. With "Nauticus," the more atypical Pain return: it is indeed an acoustic track that oscillates between tribal and gospel, a sort of prayer followed by a vocal part, specifically a conversation in a car. Then "Dea Pecuniae," a track halfway between jazz, musical, gospel, rock-blues, and soul, which also features a female voice as a guest. "Vocari Dei" is instead a sort of thank you to God; the sound here too is classical, with the orchestra prominently featured, particularly the melodies played with the oboe, guitar harmonics, and even a classical guitar solo; and while the others play, recorded voices (telephone messages left on an answering machine set up for the purpose) thank God. And if so far the metal component has been practically absent, present only in just two tracks, this component is recovered in two subsequent tracks, the hardest of this very special album. "Diffidentia" is a track with distorted guitars and strong nu-metal influences intertwined with delightful piano and violin touches, while the last three minutes are decidedly softer, orchestral, and with gospel and jazz nuances as already heard in "Dea Pecuniae." Metal orientation also in the following "Nihil Morari": it starts with backing orchestra, guitar arpeggios, and even some piano touches, then distorted guitars (always accompanied by the orchestra) and reprises of "Deus Nova," ending similar to the beginning, usual arpeggio and usual orchestrations. The final part is introduced by a fine acoustic track, "Latericius Valete": delicate acoustic guitar plus some oboe touches, then a slightly distorted electric guitar accompanied by strings. "Omni," also about 2 and a half minutes long, is a track performed only with organ and voice, while "Iter Impius" is a sort of ballad centered on Fredrik Hermansson's piano, joined by the orchestra; the central guitar solo is beautiful, but also Daniel's angry and dramatic vocal performance at the end. The conclusion is one of the best with "Martius/Nauticus II": introduced by the harpsichord, it features a tribal start and an ethno-folk continuation based on the theme of "Imago," with mandola and orchestra spiced with a great bass line and perfect drumming. The percussion finale is beautiful. The outro "Animae Partus II," which simply says "I Am" and lets us hear the beating of a heart, closes an album that is truly extraordinary, elegant, refined.

An album like this comes along once in a while in history, but when it does, it keeps a large number of enthusiasts glued. A must-have, like all the band's works!