 | Tracklist:
1. Road Salt Theme
2. Softly She Cries
3. Conditioned
4. Healing Now
5. To The Shoreline
6. Eleven
7. 1979
8. The Deeper Cut
9. Mortar Grind
10. Through The Distance
11. The Physics Of Gridlock
12. End Credits
13. Break Darling Break (bonus)
14. Of Salt (bonus)
| Ranking: #105 for 2011 | |
|
On 9 Lists
|
| Summary: Pain of Salvation complete their vintage rock interpretation of the Ying Yang complex. |
6 of 6 thought this review was well written
Right after the release of Scarsick back in 2006, Daniel Gildenlöw, the mastermind behind the Pain of Salvation prog rock outfit, had come up with a plan to (permanently or temporarily, it remains uncertain at the moment these lines are being written) part ways with the band’s original progressive rock/metal ways and take a more straightforward “70’s-esque” rock turn. The material written for Scarsick’s successor, turned out to be enough for a double album and the band wanted to issue it as such, due to its collective cohesiveness and also because a new album in stores was an imminent prerequisite for participating in a 2009 “Progressive Nation” tour with Dream Theater and Zappa Plays Zappa. Unfortunately, their distribution company went down, so the schedule for a double album release and the plans to follow the aforementioned tour package was abandoned. The first ensemble of songs was released in the form of the already known Road Salt One in May 2010, while the second part would be released approximately a year later under the sequel name Road Salt Two. As the latter has finally come to fulfill its temporal appointment, Pain of Salvation complete their vintage rock interpretation of the Ying Yang complex.
Road Salt Two is interrelated with Road Salt One in the same way black and white exist and interact within the Chinese Ying Yang symbol, not only in terms of the art layouts but more importantly because of the actual music itself. While Road Salt One was for the most part, melodic, gloomy and melancholic, Road Salt Two is more about groove and intensity. The new album is more upbeat and aggressive within the 70’s heavy rock sense, while the appropriately raw sound production contributes decisively in that direction as well. Daniel’s vocals are passionate and intimate as in before, while they fit perfectly to the overall aggressive attitude of his music mates, whose instrument handling, is “archaic” but lively vibrant. The melodic aspect in Road Salt Two, is brought forth only in discrete occasions (check “To The Shoreline”, “1979” and “Through The Distance”) and is largely fueled by the feeling of nostalgia with respect to what had previously taken place in Road Salt One, in terms of both the music and the lyrical concept therein.
In retrospect, with Road Salt Two Pain of Salvation excellently conclude what they had started with Road Salt One. That is, an atypical protest for the gradual dwindling of prog rock/metal from an innovating force of artistic creation to another stale and tiresome musical recipe. With the Road Salt album series, Pain of Salvation prove that they have the necessary nerve so as to completely change their identity, while risking their artistic (and commercial) magnitude and set an emphatic example for all their contemporaries.
|
| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4
Road Salt Theme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaNb5ny7fsM
Softly She Cries:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM5jd59KemI&feature=related
Conditioned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ1C2DqRnyk&feature=related
Healing Now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDHY65J7d9s&feature=related
To The Shoreline:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDHY65J7d9s&feature=related
Eleven:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiGj12YNDY4&feature=related
1979:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3sqFC5HQ7w&feature=related
The Deeper Cut:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7pMY0ibMaY&feature=related
The Mortar Grind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abarOy-D4bA&feature=related
Through The Distance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcsB_r8GAVE&feature=related
The Physics of Gridlock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QHZIczqYrM&feature=related
End Credits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvaUv7f_UBA&feature=related
Break Darling Break (Bonus):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ibb5sWDkY0&feature=related
Of Salt (Bonus):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKFIWr8lzrE&feature=related
Stream: http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/20
Constructive criticism is most welcome.
Digging: Vauxdvihl - To Dimension Logic | | | Album Rating: 4
This is an interesting take on this album. I agree. The LP is great. I dig heavy tracks more than mellow ones. Softly She Cries, Eleven and Mortar Grind ftw.
Digging: Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Pinata Digging: Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Pinata | | | Album Rating: 3
I've listened it many times, and still can't say I like it much
don't know if it's their past that's preventing me from seeing the quality of this...
review is great man- pos
Digging: Goldie - Timeless | | | Album Rating: 4
First few times I listened to it, I thought it was just "good", but it grew on me...
Idk...
Although this doesn't have the powerful melodies of Road Salt One, it pays back with the superb 70's rock groove aesthetic.
That's why i put the Grand Funk Railroad album in the record recs.
| | |
So in otherwords the sound portayed by RS1 = some constant/RS2?
Pretty good review, but that particular sentence is a little bit silly. I get the analogy, but I think just 'inverse' would suffice. The notion of some kind of mathematical proportionality just doesn't need to be asserted in this case. I know you're a budding engineer or what ever it is you do/study, and that's cool, but you get my point hopefully.
Digging: John Talabot - Fin
| | | Album Rating: 4
You know, i had a few doubts about the thing you are referring Taylor, but i didn't know what else to write at the moment of writing. Plus i didn't think about linking mathematically the two albums, just thought it was a cool expression.
Will edit asa i find something good to replace it.
ok, i fixed it.
And for the record, I'm a chemical engineer, not a "budding" (what does that even mean??) engineer.
| | |
I need to hear this.
Good review Voivod
pos
Digging: Meshuggah - obZen Digging: Meshuggah - obZen
| | |
@Viovod
I wasn't sure what you were. That's why I used budding which essentially means an 'enthusiast' in this context. Hopefully you didn't think I was trying to impply that you were some sort of marijuana engineer or a botanist or something. lol =)
I'm not overly farmiliar with the field of chemical engineering, so enlighten me. What do you mainly do?
| | | Album Rating: 4
Well, in a nutshell, chemical engineering is about studying the properties of materials and how they interact with each other, within the context of sciences like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Arithmetic Analysis and Software Engineering.
On a different level, chemical engineering is about designing, building and running, both in terms of finance and the aforementioned sciences, a chemical plant, in order to produce any kind of chemicals.
I was involved in both realms in the past. As for the time being, I study the properties of polymer (plastic materials) films at interfaces, through experiment and computer programming. I'm a phd student in my third year and i expect to finish my thesis in spring 2012.
On a more lighter note, It's funny that you mentioned that term "marijuana engineer", because during my one year service in the Hellenic Army, I was approached by some "dudes" fellow soldiers, in order to produce and process marijuana.
lolololololololololol
Of course I said no.
| | |
seriously jake? marijuana engineer? hahah :')
Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
| | |
It's a true technical aptitude apparently.
| | | Album Rating: 3
marijuana engineer for best job possible
gonna strike the black market
| | |
Very nice concise review. I'll be sure to add this to my ever expanding list of 2011 albums to get, haha.
Digging: Between the Buried and Me - Colors Digging: Between the Buried and Me - Colors
| | |
Good review. I don't like this band's vocalist, though. You know I can deal with most prog vocalists, but not this one.
Digging: Art By Numbers - Reticence: The Musical
| | | Album Rating: 3
grats for the feature man!
and willie, I really can't understand you-the guy must be one of the most gifted in the genre
| | | Album Rating: 4
I admit that in not too few occasions he sounds too cheesy for his own good, but his technique is impeccable.
In Friday, I get to seem them live in my hometown.
I'm really excited about this.
| | |
His vocals on the mellower stuff is okay, but on the heavier stuff he sounds thin and kind of shrill, IMO.
| | | Album Rating: 3
you should check his singing in their older albums, he's really theatrical and has an amazing range
@Voivod: I 'm thinkin of seeing them in the athens show- I've seen them 4 times before and they were awesome in each
| | |
I've heard their first four albums and then I gave up on them.
| | |
Pretty good review, but that particular sentence is a little bit silly. I get the analogy, but I think just 'inverse' would suffice. The notion of some kind of mathematical proportionality just doesn't need to be asserted in this case. I know you're a budding engineer or what ever it is you do/study, and that's cool, but you get my point hopefully.
Since when did sentence structure or ideas have to be conventional in a review?
Digging: Vaura - Selenelion
| | | |
|
|
Stumble
Digg
Twitter
Del.icio.us
